


The Ice Wielder

by Iota_Tau



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Family, Friendship, Gen, Wielder AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 71,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iota_Tau/pseuds/Iota_Tau
Summary: As her powers reach their final stages of growth, Elsa discovers a secret in Arendelle that sheds light on her family's history and reveals a new friend and a new enemy.
Relationships: Anna & Elsa (Disney), Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa & OC
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Icebound: Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! Welcome to The Ice Wielder! This was originally written several years before Frozen 2 came out so it is now an AU. Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Iota_Tau

An explosion, that’s what he was. The young man pointed his longsword-length staff in the direction of two soldiers and focused. A small distortion appeared over its metal body and collected at the tip. It built up for a fraction of a second before surging toward the men, sending them crashing into the cavern wall and sinking to the ground unconscious.

He sensed someone charging from his left and swung his staff, intercepting a swinging sword and turning its blade into steel dust. The man holding the now-useless hilt gaped at him. He swiftly brought his weapon to the man’s head and tapped it, sending enough energy through the staff to knock him out.

He turned to face five other soldiers who were nervously pointing their weapons at him. He paused for a second, staring at them.

“Run,” was all he said. The word reverberated throughout the cavern, echoing off the stone walls and settling deep in their bones.

Three immediately turned and ran out. The remaining two, shocked by their companions’ behavior, looked at each other uncertainly.

“Hold your ground,” an authoritative voice commanded. A man dressed in varying shades of grey stepped into the cavern from a side passage, leading a boy and a girl dressed in ragged clothing and bound in chains. Their eyes were coated in a grey film. “He can’t release the full extent of his power while in the cavern; he is too weak to protect himself and the children from a mountain of rubble.”

“Isten,” the young man’s heart sank when he saw that Isten held a tetrahedron the size of a helmet in his hands. It glowed blue, like the purest ice from the arctic. It was an ice vault. Any who could wield it would be able to control the winter elements.

The man walked toward him, gesturing with his head.

“Excuse me,” he said.

The young man stepped aside, his eyes blazing with anger. He watched as the children were led to the cavern’s exit. Isten turned and faced the young man again and held the conduit of ice over the ground. Ice grew beneath it until it reached the floor. He waited a second before letting go, leaving the vault supported by its ice pillar. Isten looked at the young man with a smirk on his face.

“So,” he said as more men loyal to him entered with weapons drawn. “Shall we talk?”

The young man gripped his staff tighter.

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

It was cold. Jagged shards of ice coated the walls of the cavern and shattered swords and shields lay strewn on the ground. On top of a mound of ice, power escaped through cracks that covered the surface of the severely damaged ice vault. The young man knew he and the children would freeze to death in a matter of minutes. They, unfortunately, could not escape because of a cave-in caused during the conflict.

The children, now free of the grey man’s influence, though still showing a light grey film over their eyes and still bound, huddled against one of the walls trying to keep warm. They looked at him with fear and hope, but the young man knew he had no chance of saving them.

He walked to the ice vault, deflecting the beams of ice that shot towards him. He placed his hands on its freezing sides, wincing from the pain.

“Hiram?” the boy whispered.

“I’m sorry,” he said, not bothering to hide the sorrow he felt as he filled the ice vault with his power. There was a burst of light and a wave of freezing ice. He stayed conscious long enough to feel his body stiffen and see the terror stricken children become instantly encased in ice, their hands held up in a vain attempt to block the cold. Then his world turned black.

* * *

_Focus_ , Elsa thought as she reclined on a sofa in the castle library, _concentrate_. But no matter how much she tried, her eyes refused to cooperate. The words jumbled together and she lost her place in the book. She looked at the fire burning in the hearth for a few minutes before trying again. The result was the same.

Restless, she closed the book and stood up to stretch her legs. Almost every inch of her body was sore, but it felt good to be moving again. She paced in front of the hearth for a few moments before returning to her place on the sofa.

She closed her eyes with a smile, reliving the past two months. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would accomplish something as important as saving trapped ice harvesters from an av-

“… and if I didn’t see that Anna was dizzy and catch her,” she heard the happy voice of Olaf through the door, “she probably would have gotten a face full of snow pie!”

“Snow pie?” she heard her sister ask.

“Yeah. That stuff you get when you mix snow and mud together.” Elsa had to smile at that one.

“I think it’s called mud pies, Olaf.”

“And that wasn’t mud,” Kristoff said. Elsa’s smile dropped a little.

“Then what was it?” Olaf asked.

“Wait,” Anna said. “Are you saying that it was something else?”

“Well,” Kristoff was hesitant.

“Was it bad?”

There was a pause.

“No.”

“You hesitated again,” Olaf stated.

“Ugh! It was just soot and ash!” Elsa held back a giggle and opened her book again.

“That’s it?” Anna almost shouted as they walked in. Her hair was damp from washing up and Kristoff was dressed in the finer clothing fit for palace life.

“Hey, that stuff can be nasty. Why? What did you think it was?”

“Old deer broth.”

“Really?”

“I thought it was Joles’ mystery drink,” Elsa jokingly joined in. Olaf held his hands over his mouth while Anna’s face seemed to lose a bit of its color at the memory of the disgusting beverage the ice harvesters loved to make each other try.

“For your information, I actually did try that and almost lost my dinner,” Anna said.

“That’s why we didn’t try any,” Kristoff said.

Anna lightly elbowed him in the side.

“Anyway,” Elsa said, gesturing to the couch and chairs in the library.

“Oh, yeah,” Anna said and plopped down next to her, getting as close as possible. Elsa enjoyed the closeness they once again shared as sisters and draped her arm over Anna’s shoulders. Anna just snuggled closer. Kristoff found a chair and Olaf sat down in front of the fire.

“So,” Kristoff began. “What did you think of your first ice harvester party, Elsa?”

“They were certainly enthusiastic,” Elsa said. The ice harvester families stayed up late each night of the celebration, catching only a few hours of sleep before starting it all over again the next day.

“Yeah,” Olaf chimed in. “I danced for three hours straight before I got sore and couldn’t move anymore.”

“I didn’t know snow could get sore,” Kristoff said. Olaf seemed suddenly doubtful and began wiggling his legs and arms.

“I enjoyed playing with the children the most,” Anna said before the snowman could reply.

“So did I,” Elsa said.

“You did look a little nervous around the elders,” Kristoff said.

“I’m still not completely comfortable spending so much time around people. Almost a week of celebration and talk and being thanked every three minutes is a bit overwhelming.”

“You did keep many of them from losing fathers and husbands, Elsa.”

“I know, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

“That’s why you are a great queen,” Anna mumbled, closing her eyes.

“I have only been a queen less than two years, Anna.”

“And you have done more for Arendelle than most rulers do for their people in a lifetime.”

Elsa didn’t say anything. She looked toward the window to the early spring night and felt a tug. Removing her arm from around Anna, she stood and walked to the window, trying to get a better idea of what she was sensing.

“Elsa?” Anna asked. “What’s going on?”

Elsa didn’t answer and just stared out into the night.

“Are you feeling it again?”

A few seconds passed with no answer. Finally, Elsa shook her head and gave her sister a glance before turning her gaze back. “Yes.”

“Feeling what?” Kristoff asked.

“She is sensing something in the snow with her powers again,” Anna said.

“Is something going to happen?”

“No, this seems different,” Elsa whispered just loud enough for them to hear. “At least, I think so. It has been growing in my mind over the past month at least.”

Elsa mentally cringed at the memories that sentence brought. A few months after Anna’s 19th birthday party last year, she began sensing peculiar events that involved snow or ice. The first couple of times, Elsa rushed out of the castle followed by a small contingent of guards. When she would return a day or so later Anna always asked where she went. Elsa wasn’t comfortable with telling Anna what she was experiencing and just told her sister that she was checking on something.

After her fourth disappearance, Anna cornered her in her office the next day and demanded to know why she was sneaking off. Elsa was going to give her the same excuse, but the worried look on her sister’s face stopped her. Elsa saw there the same hurt she witnessed during the coronation, the kind of hurt that comes when secrets sever the connection between siblings. So she explained that she had begun sensing disturbances in the ice and snow in Arendelle.

First it was a small storm that struck land a day’s travelling distance away. Then there was an avalanche and Marshmallow fell off the side of a cliff. The fourth time, Elsa sensed a landslide that ended up blocking one of the roadways leading into the small nation. Fortunately, she was able to clear the mess and return safely. Elsa explained that each time it happened a strange feeling would come over her that seemed to draw her in the direction of the disturbance.

The fifth time was two months ago. Elsa was taking care of some of her responsibilities in her office when she felt a sudden wave of uneasiness. At first, she thought it was just exhaustion from a particularly demanding round of trade agreements she had to negotiate. However, the feeling soon began pulling her toward the window and that’s when she knew something terrible was about to happen.

She was so caught up in trying to figure out what it was that she didn’t notice her sister coming in until she felt her hand on her shoulder. Elsa let out a small cry of surprise and before Anna could say anything she rushed out the door, calling for Anna to follow her. The young queen ordered a wagon prepared and quickly set off to find the source of the disturbance, with Kristoff, some guards and a confused Anna in tow.

They travelled deep into the mountains where ice harvesters lived. Anna tried to ask her what she had sensed but Elsa just replied that as soon as she knew she would tell her. After two hours of constant searching, they came across a party of ice harvesters frantically digging in the snow. Close by, some women and children looked on in dread. A quick talk with their leader revealed that a small party of men returning home from a day of ice harvesting had been caught in an avalanche mere moments before Elsa arrived.

Knowing that each passing second decreased their chances of survival, Elsa ordered everyone to clear the area. When she was sure they were at a safe distance, she spread out her hands and released a stream of ice that penetrated the snow. The small crowd watched spellbound as she lifted the snow away to reveal the trapped ice harvesters, cold and delirious, but alive. Many of them had suffered broken bones and concussions.

A week ago, the grateful families of the rescued ice harvesters held a five-day celebration in honor of the royal family. There was dancing, singing, and many snowball fights. They had only just gotten back to the castle that evening.

“How is it different?” Kristoff asked.

Elsa didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. She was too focused on this feeling that kept nagging her. She tried to focus her abilities and probe this strange power but was met with resistance like a wall of ice in her mind. She pushed deeper and felt coldness envelope her.

At first Elsa didn’t even notice since she never felt cold like other people. Her powers granted her resistance to temperatures that would seriously harm other human beings. She pressed on. However, the cold began to intensify at an alarming rate. It got colder and colder until Elsa felt that it could suck the life out of anyone it touched. That was when she felt something she never thought she would experience in her life. She felt a small chill.

Elsa shuddered slightly but didn’t want to give up. Suddenly, she was thrust completely into its presence and felt the temperature drop so low that she doubted it could get any colder. Any warmth she had was quickly lost. The coldness seemed to paralyze her, seeping into her bones and mind, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

“Elsa?” she heard her sister ask, her voice sounding far away. Elsa felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a cry of pain.

“Ohh,” Elsa moaned as she turned and stumbled toward the fireplace. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kristoff leap to his feet in alarm and Olaf staring wide eyed for a few seconds before leaving. Elsa fell to the ground in front of the fire, stretching her hands toward the flames.

 _So this is what it’s like to feel cold,_ she thought as the heat chased some of the chill away.

“Elsa? Are you alright?” Anna knelt beside her.

Elsa turned and gave her a concerned look. “I should be asking you that, Anna. How’s your hand?” she said, her teeth chattering. _If she’s hurt, I’ll destroy whatever caused her that pain_.

Anna held up her hand, a little red, but nothing that wouldn’t heal. “See Elsa, I’ll be fine. But you’ve never acted like this before. Please tell me what happened.”

“It’s this…,” Elsa paused and suppressed her shivering, “…this presence that has been growing in my mind. It feels like power, Anna.”

“Power?” Kristoff asked.

“Yes, Kristoff, power. Like the powers I have.”

“Like your powers?” Anna asked as Olaf came back in with an armful of wood. _Good old Olaf_ , Elsa thought. “As in winter powers but controlled by someone else?”

“Sort of, except it feels empty, devoid of life. And the coldness,” Elsa shivered again, “colder than anything that I have ever felt before. It was like no life could exist in it at all.”

“But nothing makes you cold,” Olaf said as he and Kristoff put the wood on the fire.

Elsa gave him a sad smile. “I guess even I have my limits, little guy.”

“We have to find out what’s causing this!” Anna announced, clenching her fists.

“No chance of trying to convince you to stay behind?” Elsa asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nope.”

“What if we go see Grand Pabbie?” Kristoff suggested, standing up. “He does have a lot of experience with things like this.”

“Okay,” Anna said speaking quickly. “We need to talk to Kai and find out what supplies we need to take with us-”

“Tomorrow,” Elsa interrupted as she shakily got to her feet and walked over to the couch. She still felt very cold. Or was it only a little cold? She didn’t have the experience to know.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes. By now most of the servants are asleep.” Elsa sat down with a sigh. “We’ll make our plans in the morning, but now we should rest. We did just get back from a celebration after all.”

“Okay, Elsa.” Anna, Kristoff and Olaf walked to the door. Noticing that her sister wasn’t following, Anna looked back. “Are you staying here?”

Elsa hugged herself, trying to keep as much heat from escaping as possible. “Just until I warm up a bit.”

“Can I get you something?”

She gave her sister a tiny smile. “A blanket?”


	2. Icebound: Part 2

“So then what happened?” Kristoff asked.

“Elsa was so shocked when we stumbled onto a snow game that she couldn’t speak for a whole minute. I counted,” Olaf said.

“You are good at counting to a minute Olaf.”

“Yeah, well. It was starting to get awkward, so I invited her to join us. The kids loved the idea and started asking, too. Elsa didn’t need much convincing and we had fun playing for a whole hour. She even created a small skating rink.”

“Sven would have loved to play with you guys, too.”

“And the little snow guys from Anna’s birthday, but they’re with Marshmallow. Yeah, but the two of you are out so much Kristoff. I wish you could stay in the castle more often.”

“I know Olaf, but I have an important job to do. Ice is becoming more important to Arendelle since Elsa became queen.”

“I know, it’s just that Anna misses you a lot.”

The kitchen door opened and a young servant walked in.

“Are you sure you don’t want to eat yet, sirs?” he asked.

“Yes,” Kristoff replied. “We like to wait for the queen before we start.”

“Alright sir, I will be back when they arrive.” The servant bowed and left with a backward glance at Olaf, who just smiled back.

“I know he’s new,” Kristoff said in a lower tone of voice to Olaf, “but he seems to be on guard all of the time.”

“Don’t worry, Kristoff,” Olaf said. “Some people don’t get used to me as quickly as you and Anna did.”

“But Anna kicked your head off.”

“Anna was just excited. She’s always excited!”

The dining room door opened and Elsa walked in followed by a bleary-eyed Anna, who appeared to be on the verge of falling back to sleep.

Kristoff looked at Olaf and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, Olaf, that’s the picture of excitement alright.”

Elsa smiled, but Anna didn’t seem to be coherent enough to pay attention to what he said. Kristoff stood to greet them and Olaf ran over to the sisters.

“Good morning!” he said happily.

Elsa picked him up for a hug, but when Olaf came to Anna he had to make do with hugging her knees. Anna just absentmindedly patted him on the head while muttering good morning, then sat on one of the chairs, laying her head on her arms.

Elsa smirked and went to the door leading to the kitchen to inform the servants that they were ready to eat. As she walked back to the table, she passed Anna and let a few snowflakes fall on her neck. Anna stirred a moment. Suddenly, her head shot up and she leapt to her feat.

“Ahh!” she yelled, spinning in a circle. “Cold cold cold!” Anna came to a stop when she heard Elsa laughing. She stared at her sister for a few seconds before it dawned on her. “Elsa!”

“Yes, dear sister?” Elsa said, trying to put on an innocent smile and failing spectacularly.

“You… I… it’s just… ahh!” she cried before sitting back down.

“You need to be awake if you want to join in on our little discussion on finding this mysterious ice power.”

“Okay, okay,” Anna said in defeat as the servants walked in carrying trays of food. The young man carried a pitcher to Elsa and filled a cup for her.

“Thank you, Tor,” Elsa said.

_So that’s his name_ , Kristoff thought. The young man dipped his head and left.

They ate in silence except for the occasional comment and Olaf’s compliments on how good the food tasted. Kristoff wasn’t paying attention. The behavior of the young servant bothered him. He couldn’t quite place his finger on it. The boy seemed sincere and hardworking, even coming up with a better way of washing dishes if he remembered correctly. Those who were normally assigned dish duty had talked about how one of his ideas shortened the job by a full half an hour.

Kristoff at first thought that he might have been like Hans, looking for any opportunity to advance his position at the expense of others. He discarded that theory after a few weeks. No one ever complained about him, and Kristoff knew it was very hard to keep up a charade for that long.

But something still didn’t add up. The boy seemed to always look over his shoulder like he was worried someone was following him. Kristoff would sometimes catch him staring out the window or stop working for a moment lost in thought before resuming. He asked him once what he was thinking about, but the boy only apologized, saying he just got distracted. Kristoff didn’t want to pry any further, worried that it would be an invasion of the boy’s privacy.

Kristoff finished the last bit of his breakfast and mentally sighed. He might talk to Elsa about it while they were travelling to wherever this thing she sensed was. Speaking of which, everyone looked like they were almost finished and some servants had come to clear away the dishes.

“Thow,” Anna said though her last mouthful of food, but Elsa interrupted with a small cough. Kristoff chuckled to himself. This was one of the reasons why he was growing to love Anna. She had little need for high-society rules and didn’t let others determine what kind of person she was.

Anna quickly finished chewing and swallowed. “Sorry,” she said with a small smile. “I meant to ask where you thought we should start our search.”

Elsa crossed her arms in thought. “This feeling or presence, whatever it is, feels farther away than the avalanche. We will need to plan for a long trip.”

“I can talk to the guards you will want to bring and go over what we’ll pack this afternoon if that’s okay,” Kristoff said.

“Thank you, Kristoff. Can you also find two of your men to come as well? There may be some places where we will face difficulty. Most of the country is mountains after all.”

“I think I know just the fellows, Elsa.”

“You don’t mean…,” Olaf asked.

“That’s right, Olaf,” Kristoff said with a smirk. “Jole and his brother Kirt.”

Anna groaned. “Please don’t let them bring that horrible concoction.”

“Concoction?” Elsa asked. “You’re saying that like it was some kind of experiment.”

“Yes,” Anna said dramatically. “It was a ‘how can we make a drink that will make everyone’s stomachs empty’ kind of drink.”

Olaf grabbed his torso as Elsa and Kristoff laughed. Anna glared at them for a moment before breaking into giggles as well. The conversation moved on to other aspects of the trip. They decided that the captain of the guard, Jokkon, plus three guards would accompany them. Kristoff would bring his sled which he, Elsa, Anna, Olaf and the captain would ride while the others followed in two wagons that carried the party’s supplies.

Their first objective was to visit Grand Pabbie. Kristoff really hoped he would join them. Of all the people in Arendelle, he was the most knowledgeable about powers and gifted individuals. He was, however, very diligent in guiding his tribe in the Valley of the Living Rock. In the years since Kristoff was adopted by Bulda, Grand Pabbie had never left the small valley.

“How soon do you think we can leave, Kristoff?” Elsa asked.

“I’d say the day after tomorrow,” Kristoff replied. “How does that sound?”

“I had really hoped we could leave tomorrow morning. But if that means we will not forget something half way there and be forced to turn back, it’s for the best.”

“Will we still leave as early as possible?” Anna asked.

“Yes,” Elsa said.

“Alright!” Anna said standing up. “First thing in the morning!”

Elsa and Kristoff gave her pointed looks and Olaf just stared at her like she was crazy.

“What?”

* * *

Even though the winter months were well behind the small country, Arendelle’s late spring mornings were still chilly. Kristoff wore some extra layers to ward off the cold and some of the soldiers on guard duty were shivering. _Elsa wouldn’t need it_ , he thought, _she can handle anything cold_. However, the events of the past two days caused him to wonder if that was really true.

A messenger had been sent to the ice harvester village where they attended the celebration and returned yesterday afternoon with Jole and Kirt. Since then, they had been helping Kristoff prepare the supplies they would need for their trip into the mountains.

Like many ice harvesters, Kristoff included, Jole and Kirt had a flare for humor and would joke around to bring fun to their often dreary and hard lives. However, when there was work to do, all humor fell to the wayside and professionalism asserted itself. They knew that ice harvesting in the mountains was a dangerous business. The recent avalanche illustrated that. Even the simplest mistake could have dire consequences, so they put all their focus into ensuring they were prepared for any dangers, especially when it came to the safety of their queen.

Kristoff was double checking the supply list for his sleigh when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned to find Captain Jokkon approaching with the three guards he had chosen to accompany them on the trip.

“Ice Master,” the captain greeted, extending his hand.

“Captain,” Kristoff replied as he grasped it in a firm handshake.

“How go the preparations?”

“We just started double checking the supplies.”

The captain nodded and signaled his men. They saluted and left to assist Jole and Kirt.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Kristoff said once they were out of earshot. “Have you discovered anything new about the smuggling rumors?”

The captain gave a tired sigh. “Unfortunately no. While the contraband items you found have been a great clue for the investigation, we have only been able to conclude that we are just being used as a conduit for smuggling operations elsewhere.”

“So the items found could have been sold by mistake?”

“That’s what we think. Queen Elsa hopes that this is as far as those lowlifes go. We don’t have…” He trailed off. Kristoff guessed that he was worried someone might overhear and divulge information that would compromise Arendelle’s security. Kristoff knew the difficulties Jokkon and Elsa faced in keeping order. Sure, most of her people loved her, but there were always the few who would seek to exploit Arendelle.

“I know,” Kristoff said as he got back to checking his sleigh. The captain strode toward some guards who were looking on to give final instructions.

After half an hour the castle doors opened and Elsa and Anna emerged. Anna was dressed in traveling attire similar to what she wore during their journey to Elsa’s ice palace. Elsa had forgone her traditional ice dress and wore something more suitable for the journey.

They were followed by an ever-jovial Olaf, who was constantly shifting his attention between Anna and Elsa. As they got closer, Kristoff noticed something was different about Anna. He watched her as she looked at the wagons and sleigh with an excited expression on her face. She grabbed Elsa’s hand and dragged her in Kristoff’s direction.

That’s it! Anna wasn’t sleepy! She seemed very alert as she approached Kristoff.

“Morning, Feisty Pants,” Kristoff greeted. “Good morning, Elsa.”

“Why do you sound more formal when you talk to my sister?” Anna demanded.

Kristoff looked at Elsa for a second then back at her. “Because she is the queen.” He gave a dramatic bow. Anna snickered and Elsa rolled her eyes.

“By the way,” Kristoff said, changing the subject. “How are you so awake? You’re usually as tired as a bear after hibernating for a full year.”

“A bear?” Elsa asked.

“You’re comparing me to a bear?” Anna was aghast.

“Uh…” Kristoff didn’t like how this was turning out.

“Bears are very big you know,” Olaf pointed out as he hopped on Sven’s back.

“Not helping, Olaf,” Kristoff said.

“I think he is,” Elsa said. “Bears do have a lot of fat on them.”

“Kristoff thinks I’m fat?” Anna asked in horror.

“Wouldn’t be the first time someone thought one of us was fat.”

“Someone thought you were fat, Elsa?” Anna said looking ready to punch someone.

“Yep.”

“Who was it? If it was that rude merchant who wanted you to try that vegetarian diet I’m going-”

“It was you.”

Anna was dumbstruck.

“Don’t worry guys,” Olaf said. “A doctor once told me people need fat to survive.”

Kristoff, Anna and Elsa looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting into fits of hysterics.

“What did I say?” Olaf asked confused at this sudden turn in events. They just laughed harder.

“Ahem!” They all turned their heads to see that Captain Jokkon was looking at them with a smirk, though he still had an air of professionalism about him. “If we are all satisfied with our fatness, we can leave whenever you are ready, Highness.”

“Ah yes, of course,” Elsa said, trying to salvage what dignity she could. “We are ready.” She turned to Kristoff. “Let’s depart.”

Kristoff gave a slight nod. “At once, Elsa.” He helped the sisters and Olaf into his sleigh and made sure Sven was properly hitched before climbing in himself. The others piled on the other two wagons and with a short word from Elsa, they were off.

As they traveled through the streets of Arendelle, people started to take notice of their party. At first it was only one or two people plus the occasional sleepy child wishing them a safe trip. Then, as word spread, more people came to see their queen and princess off.

Kristoff watched from the corner of his eye as Elsa freely interacted with her people. She gave two small children little ice figurines and smiled as they enthusiastically thanked her. All too soon, they reached the town limits and the crowds departed and returned to their daily lives.

The trip to the Valley of the Living Rock passed without incident and they found themselves at the border before noon. Elsa ordered the others to stay behind while she, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf went to talk with Grand Pabbie. Captain Jokkon protested being left behind.

“Are you sure, your majesty?” He asked. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you or Princess Anna without an escort.”

“There is no danger, Captain,” Elsa replied. “The trolls guard their borders vigilantly and have been of great help to our country in the past. Besides,” she said with a smile. “There are few people who can best me in a fight.”

Captain Jokkon still didn’t appear satisfied, but seemed unwilling to argue the matter further. The soldiers and ice harvesters dismounted and secured the wagons while the small party departed.

After half an hour of walking, they came upon the clearing populated by round boulders of various sizes. Some were as small as Olaf’s stomach, while others were big as barrels. Silence permeated the air but it brought peace, not emptiness.

“I’ll try and wake them up,” Kristoff said walking ahead. “Hey everyone! Were back!” he called out as Olaf and Sven hurried to catch up with the sisters not far behind.

The response was immediate. All the boulders started rolling toward the party, transforming into trolls when they stopped. Soon Elsa and her friends were surrounded once again by the merry race who tackled them in their joy.

Kristoff watched as the queen smiled and answered as many of the questions fired at her as possible. It didn’t take long for her to captivate the little troll children with her snow powers. The first couple of times he brought the sisters with him to visit the trolls after the Great Thaw, she had been nervous at best. However, she soon grew to enjoy their rambunctious company.

“Ahh, Kristoff,” Kristoff heard the gravelly voice of Grand Pabbie behind him and turned to see the kind, old troll smiling up at him.

“Hi, Grand Pabbie,” Kristoff greeted kneeling down.

“It is good to see you again, my boy.”

“You, too. We actually have a question – Oof!” Kristoff exclaimed as three small trolls tackled him, demanding that he pick them up.

“How can I do that when I’m pinned!” he complained.

“You carry ice blocks all over the place, Kristoff,” one of them said. “Hurry up.”

As the little trolls led him away, Kristoff saw Elsa approach Grand Pabbie. Content to let her do the talking, he focused on his game with the little ones. He and Anna again found themselves the objects of attention of the adult trolls who, to his astonishment, only asked once this time when they were going to get married. As usual, Kristoff replied that they hadn’t thought of marriage yet and wanted to just be good friends first. Thankfully, the trolls let the matter drop and continued with their fun and games.

Eventually, it was time for the trolls to return to their normal activities. Olaf went off to watch some of the younger ones while Kristoff and Anna stayed with Bulda, who wanted them to tell her about the ice harvester party they attended. When Kristoff finished, Anna told her about the purpose for their visit.

They talked for a while until they heard the voices of Grand Pabbie and Elsa. They looked behind them and saw the two approaching, still deep in conversation.

“It will mean a lot to me if you agree to come, Grand Pabbie,” Elsa said.

“I know, Your Majesty,” Grand Pabbie said. He paused for a moment, looking around the clearing at the trolls he had taken care of for many years. “I will come.”

Bulda quickly rolled over to her father. “But you haven’t left the valley for a long time,” she protested. “None of us have.”

“I know my daughter. But this power Elsa senses may affect us all if not contained. It feels familiar yet dangerous to me. I can’t quite place my finger on it though. That’s why I go to help Queen Elsa.”

Bulda sighed. “Well then. If you are going, you will need a few things.”

She rolled away as Grand Pabbie looked on with a smile on his face. “She has always been rather strict when it comes to my wellbeing.”

Kristoff chuckled. “I remember when she thought I forgot to bring my cap one time. I had to endure one of her lectures for an hour.”

Grand Pabbie chuckled at the memory. “Yes indeed. When my daughter returns we can leave, Elsa.” He looked skyward. “The days are nearing their longest, so we should have plenty of time left for traveling.”


	3. Icebound: Part 3

As they approached the rest of the party, Elsa began to grow pensive. She could feel her powers come to life within her. Her fingers tingled and seemed to beat along with her heart. Had she made the right decision to bring Grand Pabbie? What tales would be spread once people saw a troll for the first time in generations?

She looked at her hands and saw a faint icy mist flowing out of them. How many times had she wished her powers did not respond to how she felt? Grand Pabbie had said that her powers were a part of her and they saw that as time passed and her abilities grew, they would become more easily triggered by her emotions.

As if on cue, her awareness expanded with the sensations of cool wind from the mountains gently blowing the late-spring warmth away and of cold air misting slowly from her arms and hands and floating to the ground.

“Elsa?” Anna’s voice seemed distant, but Elsa forced herself to focus on her sister. She realized her sister was staring at her, concerned. Elsa took a deep breath and picked up her pace to catch up with the others.

“Thank you, Anna,” she said. “I just got lost in thought again.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Anna asked.

“Yeah. It’s getting easier to sense everything snow related. My powers seemed to have grown more sensitive, if not stronger, over the past year.”

“Yeah.”

“I think it was to be expected, Elsa,” Grand Pabbie said. “Now that you’re not suppressing them, your powers are probably in their final stages of growth.”

Elsa felt relief flood through her. “So it won’t be much longer until my powers have reached their peak?”

“You don’t have to sound too excited about it, Elsa,” Anna said as she stumbled over some tree roots. Kristoff grabbed hold of her arm to keep her from falling.

“Yes, Elsa,” Grand Pabbie said. “You have become very powerful and while your powers won’t grow much more, there will still be many opportunities for you to better learn how to use them.”

Elsa looked up and saw the rest of her party not too far away looking at them worriedly. “Let’s rejoin the others,” she said walking ahead. “They will be eager to continue.”

Elsa was worried that her guards and the two ice harvesters would be shocked at seeing a troll straight out of legend. To her relief, they seemed to take the appearance of the troll chief very well, albeit with some nervousness. Kristoff was quick to step up and make introductions.

“Chief Grand Pabbie,” Captan Jokkon said in greeting. “Is that how you would like to be addressed?”

“I have never been one for elaborate titles,” Grand Pabbie said kindly. “Please just call me Pabbie.” He turned to the others. “All of you.”

The party set off again, this time with Grand Pabbie riding on Kristoff’s sleigh while the rest of the party shared the two wagons.

For the rest of that day and the next, they traveled deeper into the mountains. Often, Elsa had to create paths with her powers when they came against obstacles that they couldn’t get around using conventional means. They had to cross several ravines and by evening were well into a region of Arendelle that had seen little to no traffic for many years.

All the paths were overgrown and in disrepair. Crumbling walls and the occasional vine-covered chimney dotted the remains of what were once busy villages.

“It’s because better sources of ice were found and the families just moved closer to the Arendelle,” Kristoff told them. “After they left, wolves and a few bandits moved into the region and it’s been like this ever since.”

“How long has it been exactly?” Anna asked.

“Err,” Kristoff thought for a moment. “Probably about fifty years, give or take.”

“Fifty years!” Olaf exclaimed. “That’s a really long time ago.”

“In your great-grandparents’ time I believe,” Grand Pabbie said.

“If I recall correctly,” Elsa said, “they signed a new law that opened more territory for the ice harvesters to use because of growing demand.”

“And now you have an official Ice Master!” Anna said.

“And Deliverer!” Olaf added.

“Yes,” Elsa chuckled.

“I’m pretty sure I’m the first one,” Kristoff said.

“Yeah I – Wait!” Elsa called holding up her hand.

The party came to a stop and watched as Elsa dismounted and walked to a path that was in even worse condition than the others. She felt a pull from that direction and knew that the source of the disturbance was near.

“That’s where we need to go,” she announced. She could almost feel them hesitate. They had journeyed far and needed rest. “Tomorrow.” Even though her sister was the only one to audibly sigh in relief, she saw the others sag in weariness as the stress of having to continue dissipated.

The sisters stood off to the side with Olaf and Grand Pabbie while the others set up a small camp. Two fires were lit and the tents pitched. Even though there was still a small amount of light, Elsa and Anna turned in for the night as the guards and ice harvesters set up watch shifts.

The next morning they ate a warm breakfast of sausages and oatmeal and packed up the carts. Because of the restricted nature of the path, it was decided that two of the guards and Jole would stay behind with one of the wagons and most of the heavier supplies.

Unfortunately, this meant a lot of rearranging had to be done and they weren’t able to leave until midmorning. Elsa was eager to be off and spent most of that time standing by the trail trying to get a better sense of what they would be facing. Her efforts did not reveal any new information and they left soon after.

The trail was narrow and ran alongside the mountains. One wrong move would send any unsuspecting travelers plunging to their death. Elsa was obliged to walk ahead of the group and ice-build many sections of the road either because they were unsafe for travel or missing entirely. It soon got to the point that they were entirely dependent on her abilities for their safety.

While it gave her some satisfaction that she was keeping those she was responsible for safe, she did fear that they would be the ones to pay for any mistake she made. Her mind went back to the first lessons her parents gave her on ruling Arendelle. They stressed that her decisions would not only affect her family but also every person she ruled over.

For a teenager with ice powers that could harm or kill others, she almost broke down and lost control from the fear of influencing the lives of so many people. For a whole week, she refused to let even her parents in her room because she was afraid they would get hurt.

Those lessons continued to have a negative effect on her even after her coronation. It wasn’t until a few months before her sister’s birthday party that she started to develop a different attitude. Instead of worrying how her decisions would hurt those around her, she had begun to feel something different. She had trouble identifying what it was exactly. She poured over books and journals of her ancestors in hopes of discovering if any of them felt anything similar.

It wasn’t until after the avalanche two months ago that she found what she was looking for in her father’s journals. Among the lessons he had been taught by her grandfather was the edict that a king’s first duty was to protect. Protect his family, his people, and his nation from any and all threats.

That’s when she knew exactly what she felt. She was feeling a strong desire to protect. Anna, Kristoff, the castle staff, the kind people who lived in Arendelle. It almost felt overpowering at times. She knew it was because she loved them. Because she loved them, she would do all she could to ensure their well-being. She liked her grandfather’s quote best: ‘I will protect them, and by the grace of God they will never come to harm.’

She felt a tug to her right and looked down the side of the trail to see a section of the gorge that was shallower than the others. It appeared to be accessible and had a few places where people could safely walk. Then she saw it. At the base of the mountain opposite them was a large mound of ice flush against the rock.

“Kristoff, stop!” she ordered.

Kristoff stopped the cart and relayed the order. Anna and Olaf climbed out and made their way to Elsa’s side and followed her gaze.

“Whoa!” Olaf said, summing up what the two sisters were thinking.

“I agree,” the captain said, walking up behind them. “What’s causing this?”

“That’s what we are going to find out,” Elsa said.

“It’s a pretty far way down, Elsa,” Kristoff pointed out. “It will take us hours just to get a few people to the bottom.”

“We don’t have time for that,” Elsa stated. She pointed her hand at the ground and shot out a beam of ice. The ground was instantly covered in frost and an ice platform extended out beyond the trail. Pillars extended downward, giving the structure support.

Elsa walked toward the center of the platform and turned toward the others. Anna had a large smile on her face and Kristoff looked suitably impressed. The others however, appeared nervous.

“C’mon!” Elsa called. Anna, Olaf and Grand Pabbie didn’t hesitate to join her. Kristoff only took a second to unhitch Sven before coming as well. “Don’t worry gentlemen,” Elsa said looking back at the others. “The ice will hold your weight.” With obvious apprehension, they grabbed what gear they could carry from the wagons and walked onto the platform.

Once she was certain they were safely onboard, Elsa closed her eyes and concentrated. In her mind she could see the ice she had created, its intricate structure and the complicated framework that held it together. Slowly, she caused the pillars under the flat surface they all rested on to shrink, allowing the party to be gently lowered to the base of the ravine.

In a few minutes, they were safely placed on solid ground again. She almost sighed in relief. Those few minutes had taken as much concentration as hours of ice play and she felt her mind get a little foggy from the exertion.

“Wow,” Anna said softly. “That was amazing.”

Elsa smiled fondly at the phrase she used hear when they were children. After her memories were returned, Anna had begun using them again, not to remind Elsa of the days they missed, but to show her that she saw those early years as a blessing and not a reminder of what could have been.

“Very impressive, Queen Elsa,” Grand Pabbie said. “Your mastery of these powers is a most wonderful sight to behold.”

“Thank you, Grand Pabbie,” Elsa said. Looking around her, she saw that the ravine was more suitable for travel than she first thought. They were on a small outcrop across from the ice mound. From there, they could see the remains of a trail that stretched on until it turned around the nearest bend.

“A little convenient, don’t you think?” Captain Jokkon asked.

“Possibly,” Elsa said. “Let me make a bridge.” She spread her hand out and a gleaming ice bridge materialized in front of them, spanning the gap.

Anna and Kristoff were the first to attempt to cross but before they even reached it, they were nearly knocked down by a furry creature with antlers. Despite a few slips, Sven reached the other side faster than Elsa thought possible for a reindeer of his size.

“Sven!” Kristoff shouted.

“That was,” Anna straightened her sleeves, “interesting.”

“C’mon you two,” Elsa said, chuckling as she took the lead.

The ice mound was even more impressive close up. Twice as tall as a human and just as wide, it stood against the mountain like a barrier to a great and terrible secret.

“How do you think we should start?” Anna asked.

“I think we should see if the ice is from some form of power or not,” Kristoff said as he walked forward. “I would like to take a look first if that’s alright.”

“Despite the widely held opinion that having ice powers makes me the go-to source for all things cold,” Elsa said with a smile, “no one knows ice as well as you do.”

Kristoff gave a small smile of gratitude and approached the mound.

“Kritsoff.”

The young man stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at Grand Pabbie.

“Be careful,” the old troll cautioned gravely.

Kristoff nodded and approached the ice more cautiously. He carefully placed his hand on the cold, smooth surface. He looked back at the others wide-eyed. “This feels a lot like Elsa’s ice.”

“Elsa’s ice has a feel?” Olaf asked.

“I think he means that he can feel the difference between naturally occurring ice and ice created by Elsa,” Anna said. “I’ve noticed a difference as well.”

Kristoff asked Kirt for a pickax. He held it at his side and gave Elsa and Grand Pabbie a questioning glance. They both nodded and he faced the ice mound, raising the tool above his head. He took a deep breath and brought it down.

* * *

Time seemed to slow as Elsa watched the pickax descend - watched its reflection, and Kristoff’s determined expression, in the ice. The pickax made a very satisfying _chnk_ that reverberated through the air as it hit the frozen mound. It seemed louder than it should have been. Almost immediately the ice began to give off a dull, almost sickish blue glow.

“Krist-!”

“Ahh!”

Kristoff’s gloved hands were instantly covered in ice. He tried jerking back in an attempt to get free but the ice spread past the gloves and onto his sleeves. Elsa stood there rooted in horror at seeing her friend slowly being consumed by this strange power.

“No!” Anna yelled, running toward him. Elsa started and quickly pulled her sister back.

A blur to her right drew her attention away from Anna. Kirt rushed forward with another pickax. Elsa guessed his intentions and opened her mouth to yell at him to stop. Too late, he swung, but the pickax didn’t even scratch the ice. He managed to pull his hands away before the ice reached him and stumbled backward.

“Anna!” Elsa said. “Stay back!” She hurried to Kristoff and gasped when she got a better look at his arms. The ice had almost reached his elbows. His face contorted in pain and he was shivering. Elsa placed her hands on the ice covering his arms and forced her awareness into the hostile power.

She almost collapsed from the sensations that flooded into her mind. Coldness, fear, anger, terror were just some of the feelings she sensed. Using all her will power, Elsa blocked the foreign emotions and focused on pushing the ice back. At first, the ice only retreated a few inches. She felt the power behind it try to spread its influence like a hungry ice blast.

The sound of Kristoff moaning in pain made her double her efforts. She plunged deeper into the heart of the ice and found that, despite its strength, there was no power to sustain it for much longer.

Elsa poured her power into the ice, asserting her authority over the icy influence and watched in satisfaction as its color changed from its sickly pale blue to the hearty glow that accompanied her own creations. She stepped back and with a quick wave of her hands the ice covering Kristoff’s arms disappeared and the young ice harvester retreated a few steps, clutching his shaking hands to his chest. Anna ran up to him and helped rub some feeling into his right arm while Kirt took the left.

“Thanks, Elsa,” Kristoff sighed in relief.

“Can you feel your arms?” Elsa asked.

“Not yet. Still numb.”

Elsa nodded and turned to Captain Jokkon. “I want a fire set up over there for the Ice Master,” she pointed to a place off to the side, away from the mound. The others quickly hurried to carry out her orders while Grand Pabbie stood close by his adopted grandson.

“And Deliverer!” Olaf added loudly as he shuffled away to help gather kindling.

Elsa smiled at her creation, then turned her attention back to Kristoff. Anna and Kirt had helped Kristoff over to the growing pile of wood.

“Never had ice do that to me before,” he said with mock disappointment. “Maybe I’m losing my touch.”

“Ppfft!” was all that Anna said.

“What do you sense now?” Grand Pabbie asked.

Elsa tore her eyes away from her family and looked once again at the imposing mass of ice. She tried to sense the power that kept it from melting. She was surprised to find it had disappeared. Could she have drained it when she saved Kristoff from freezing? She hoped so. If it was truly gone, all that was left to do was to thaw this ice and discover what created it.

“Nothing,” Elsa said.

There was a pause.

“I too sense nothing.” He walked closer ice mound. “I think it’s time to discover the source of all this mischief.”

“Yes,” Elsa agreed, taking a deep breath. As soon as she reached out with her powers, the ice melted, revealing a dark cave.

Suddenly, they were buffeted by a strong gust of frigid air. Elsa was pushed back a few steps and she saw that even Grand Pabbie had to shield himself as frost covered his cape and arms. As the wind died down, Elsa felt a lingering chill. Even with the power gone, she still felt the frigid temperature.

“That,” she said as she wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to shiver, “was cold.”

“It was, your Majesty,” Grand Pabbie said in a strained voice. “I cannot enter the cave until you have removed all the ice.” He glanced back toward the others, who had retreated to the ice bridge to keep from instantly freezing. “None of us can.”

“I’ll hurry,” Elsa assured him.

“You can do it Elsa!” Anna yelled.

Hearing Anna’s encouragement gave Elsa an idea. She raised her hands and called on a winter gust to counter the draft from the cave.

“Very good, Elsa,” Grand Pabbie said. “Ready when you are.”

Together, the young queen and the old troll chief walked into the darkness.

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

Elsa thought they would lose their light as they got farther from the entrance. However, she discovered that as her eyes adjusted she could see that the ice coating the walls of the cave gave off a gentle blue glow, like her ice palace at night.

Confident now that she had a source of light, Elsa increased her pace. In her haste, she stubbed her foot on something hard. A dull, metallic clang echoed in the tunnel. Elsa cradled her foot, trying not to hiss out loud from the pain. She looked at what she hit and was shocked to see a piece of chest armor wedged in the ice.

“This is grave tidings,” Grand Pabbie said.

There was evidence of an intense battle all throughout the tunnel. Shattered swords, broken spears and discarded pieces of armor littered the ground. Elsa spotted a sword and grabbed the hilt. After thawing the ice that encased it, she lifted it to find that half of the blade was missing. The rest of the sword had cracks running up and down its surface.

“Look at this, Grand Pabbie,” Elsa said, holding out the sword. Grand Pabbie took it in his hands and slowly ran a finger along the flat of the blade. When he reached its jagged edge a fragment broke off, landing on the frigid ground with a soft clink.

“You’ve had schooling on weapons, correct?” he asked.

“Yes,” Elsa answered.

“Do you know of any that could cause this kind of damage?” he asked, indicating the broken weaponry lying about.

Elsa racked her brain, recalling all the intricacies of weapon design and their uses in combat. However, because Arendelle was a peaceful nation, she was only given a brief overview of warfare. She shook her head in defeat.

“I don’t know as much as I should,” she confessed. “But from what I was taught, I don’t think that there is any weapon that could do this sort of damage to a sword.”

“Then we will hopefully find the answers up ahead,” Grand Pabbie said, setting the sword gently on the ground.

It wasn’t much longer until they came to the end of the tunnel. Elsa could feel her anticipation build the closer they got. They found themselves in a large cavern. Elsa wasn’t entirely sure, but she estimated that it was about the size of her castle’s courtyard.

However, what should have been a majestic example of nature turned out to be a scene of destruction. Entire sections of the walls seemed to have been blown out by some powerful force. There were even more weapons littering the floor, some snapped in half and others appearing to have been simply discarded. As in the cave, ice covered every inch of the cavern’s surface, keeping everything perfectly preserved. But Elsa wasn’t paying attention to any of that. Her gaze was locked on what was in the center of all the chaos.

A man stood next to an ice pillar about twice the height of Grand Pabbie. The man’s face was etched in frozen agony. Elsa felt a tingle run down her spine. It must have been painful to feel the bite of a cold death. His hands rested on a four-sided pyramid about the size of a helmet. Upon closer inspection, she saw that its surface was marred by cracks and chips.

At the far end of the cavern were two small mounds of ice. The light was dimmer there so she couldn’t make out what they were but felt a strong compulsion to find out. As she got closer, she could better make out their shapes and gasped. Two children, a boy and a girl dressed in ragged clothing, huddled on the ground. The boy appeared to be around twelve years old and the girl ten, their faces frozen in terror.

She stood there for a moment staring into the lifeless eyes of the children. To have their lives cut short and in such a tragic way brought great sadness to the young queen. In her mind, she recalled the time when Anna sacrificed herself to block Hans’ sword strike. She remembered looking into her sister’s lifeless eyes, and now here she was again confronting death.

Elsa heard Grand Pabbie walk up beside her. She looked down to see that he was as overcome with sorrow as she was. She wasn’t surprised though. Whenever she visited the trolls with Anna and Kristoff or just by herself, she often found him playing with the little ones, telling them stories, or teaching them they ways of their tribe. She could imagine what he must feel to see the lives of ones so young snuffed out like a candle.

Grand Pabbie slowly turned around. “This is the cause of their deaths your majesty,” he said pointing to the object the young man was grasping.

“What is it?” Elsa asked.

“It is called an ice vault. A dangerous thing it is, too.”

“What is an ice vault?”

“An ice vault is something a person creates to generate a portion of their powers. The most powerful was said to be able to create a twentieth of its wielder’s abilities.”

“Wielder,” Elsa was shocked. “There were others who could control ice?”

“Among other things.”

“Why tell me this now? Shouldn’t I have known a long time ago?”

“I only heard whispers when I was just a small troll. My elders never passed on the story to my generation and it was forgotten. It was only when you told me that you sensed another power like yours did I begin to remember.”

“Why would they keep something like that from you?”

“I think that it was to ensure that no curious or selfish trolls would seek them out.”

“So is this ice vault still dangerous?”

Grand Pabbie closed his eyes for a moment. “There is no danger. Somehow it must have been damaged, which caused its powers to escape and freeze everything here. When you took control of it, you destroyed what was left.”

“Thank goodness for that. What do you think we should do now?”

“I suggest that we keep it to ourselves. If knowledge of this discovery gets out, people will come looking for power or search for other fabled places where vaults may have been kept.”

“What am I supposed to say to Anna? I’m not going to lie to her.”

“Of course not lie. Tell her the truth, but not exactly what caused it. Say that you found what caused this and that you destroyed it. If she asks you exactly what it was, tell her that it was dangerous and should be left here forever. I think she will understand the necessity of that kind of secret.”

“Alright then.” Elsa looked around the cavern. “I think we should give these children a proper burial.”

“I agree. I assume you want this man left here?”

Elsa looked at him and then the man. She couldn’t conceive how someone would cause so much harm just to get power. Elsa knew her own powers could be a terrible burden and dangerous in the wrong hands.

“Yes,” she said at last, her voice hard. “He wanted this power, so we will bury him with it. We should seal the entrance so that anyone who comes by will not be able to find it.”

“A wise plan, Elsa,” Grand Pabbie nodded.

Focusing on her love for Anna, her parents, and the rest of her family, Elsa stretched out her arms and the ice immediately began to thaw. White tendrils swirled around the ice as it dissolved and gathered into a giant snowflake. With a wave of her arms, she dissipated the remaining power into nothingness.

The children and young man were sprawled on the ground now that they had thawed. Elsa was unused to seeing death, especially in people so young. She felt tears threaten, but pushed her emotions back. There would be a time for that later. Grand Pabbie walked to the children and scooped up the girl in his arms. Elsa picked up the boy and together they walked out of the cavern.

Olaf stared at them with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. Anna paled and Kristoff gently put an arm around her shoulders while sending a questioning glance to Elsa. She shook her head sadly and walked toward Jokkon, Kirt, and the third palace guard.

“We need blankets to wrap the bodies and I want that cave entrance sealed,” she told them. She could barely keep her tone regal. Gently, she lowered the boy to the ground and knelt beside him. A hand on her shoulder startled her. She looked up to see Anna standing next to her. Her sister’s face still looked whiter than normal, but Elsa could see courage in her eyes.

“You found them in there?” Kristoff asked as he walked up.

“Yes,” Elsa said. “They were frozen in ice. They must have been killed instantly.”

Jokkon returned with the blankets. Elsa stepped back as he and Kristoff laid them on the ground and placed the children on them. After they wrapped the blankets around the bodies, they went to help Kirt and the guard finish sealing the cave entrance.

Anna, Olaf and Grand Pabbie stayed with Elsa as she stared at the bundles. She didn’t move and she knew that soon the others would grow worried if she stayed that way for much longer. A feeling began to grow within her. She started to imagine that the children were still alive. Restlessness came over her and she began to pace.

Then there was the air. It seemed to be coming alive. She looked at the others and saw that they noticed it to. She rushed to the bundles and unwrapped the folds covering the boy’s head. She never really took the time to see his features. His hair was black and his jaw was angular under high cheekbones. However, the thing that drew her attention the most was the fact that his skin felt warm to the touch.

Elsa drew her hand back as if she touched something unnatural. Anna came up and guessing what her sister felt, placed her own hand on his cheek.

“I thought you said they were dead,” Anna said.

“I did,” Elsa replied. “Even Grand Pabbie couldn’t find any signs of life in them.”

Elsa quickly uncovered the girl’s face and found her breathing. Relief flooded her. These children were alive! But that also meant…

“Grand Pabbie!” Elsa exclaimed. “The man in the cavern?”

Grand Pabbie nodded. “He lives.”


	4. Icebound: Part 4

The trip back to Arendelle was difficult now that they had extra passengers, but they made good time while keeping the children, and to a lesser extent the young man, warm.

Memories of waking in a cold, dreary cell two years ago plagued Elsa when she followed her guards as they carried the still-unconscious man to the dungeon infirmary two days later. She remembered how alone and helpless she felt in that dreary place. The only person to visit her ended up trying to kill her and her sister.

She pushed the thoughts aside as the man was placed on a hard bed. A few seconds later, a doctor with graying hair and a worn face entered and began examining him. After a few moments of silence, Elsa felt herself grow impatient. She knew that it was often unwise to interrupt a doctor, but being in the dungeons made her nervous.

“What have you determined doctor?” she asked.

The elderly man paused for a second before turning to his sovereign. “If my memory serves me correctly, the messenger said something about you finding him completely frozen in ice. Then he said something about him reviving and that I should look at him right away. Of course, he seemed to be in a terrible rush and only allowed me to get a few things before practically dragging me out the door,” he said with irritation.

“Our apologies,” Captain Jokkon said. “We felt this was something that could not wait.”

The doctor sighed and waved the apology aside. “Nothing to worry about, Captain. I am quite surprised by this young man’s condition. Even though he is very weak, he appears to be steadily improving. For example, his heart rate is slightly faster that it was ten minutes ago. If this keeps up, he should regain consciousness the day after tomorrow.”

“Isn’t that a little soon?” Elsa asked.

“I don’t know for sure, Your Majesty,” the doctor replied. “He may even wake up earlier.”

“So it is very unlikely that searching him will do any harm?”

“Very unlikely, Your Majesty.”

Elsa nodded to the guards who walked over to patient and started going through his clothes. She left them to their work and decided to check up on Anna and Kristoff, who were helping Grand Pabbie tend to the children.

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

She found Olaf and Anna fawning over the children as they lay on two separate beds in a room near the royal suite. Elsa had insisted they be brought there so she and her sister could be kept up-to-date on their condition.

“Aren’t they cute, Elsa!” Anna said. “I can’t wait for them to wake up.”

“That will be in three days, Anna,” Grand Pabbie said, then thought for a moment. “Give or take an hour or two.”

“Are you sure you can wait that long?” Elsa asked Anna with a smirk.

Anna looked between the children and Elsa a few times before answering.

“Uh, maybe?”

Elsa snickered at that. However, when she saw the ice vault lying on a table near the door, her mood darkened. The others noticed her change in demeanor and followed her gaze.

“You know,” Kristoff pointed out, “you never told us what exactly that thing is.”

“Was, Kristoff,” Grand Pabbie corrected.

“By the way you two have been looking at it, I’m guessing that’s a good thing.”

“It is a very good thing,” Elsa said.

“Can you tell us, Elsa?” Olaf asked, concerned.

Grand Pabbie met her gaze and gave a brief nod. Since the children and young man were alive, it was little use keeping the story behind the ice vault secret, especially since they would eventually find out anyway from the young man.

Elsa, with some help from Grand Pabbie, told them of what they found in the cave - how they discovered the frozen aftermath of an intense battle, the young man frozen with the ice vault in his hands, and the terror-stricken children.

“After they wake up and we determine exactly what happened to them,” Elsa said when she finished, “we’ll be able to get them back to their families or find them a new home here in Arendelle.”

“How long do you think they have been frozen?” Anna asked.

Elsa looked at Grand Pabbie.

“I don’t know for sure, Anna,” he said. “It may be as short as a few months. However, due to the nature of their condition and how well they were frozen, it may even be years.”

“Wow,” Olaf said. “That’s a long time.”

They heard a knock on the door. Kristoff opened it and stepped aside to allow the two head servants of the castle, Kai and Gerda, to enter. They bowed respectfully to their queen.

“It is good to see that you have returned safely, my queen,” Kai said, looking at the children in astonishment. “I’m sorry for not coming earlier.”

“Think nothing of it, Kai,” Elsa said warmly. “I know that there were other duties that you needed to attend to while I was away.”

“I do have some news on the smuggling suspicions you and Kristoff have.”

“Yes, Kai, any news is welcome right now.” She looked at the others and then at Kristoff. “I would like for you to come as well, Kristoff.”

Kristoff nodded and after giving Anna a quick peck on the cheek followed Elsa and the senior castle staff out. They arrived at council chamber and found Captain Jokkon and two high ranking guards waiting for them. As soon as Elsa entered, they rose and bowed. Once they were all seated, Kai briefed Elsa on what they had discovered.

“Yesterday, Your Majesty, a ship sailed into our port bearing resemblance to those constructed by Weselton.”

“Weselton’s ships are sold to many nations, since their designs are among the best in Europe,” Elsa said. “We even have a few older ones from my father’s early years as king.”

“That is correct. However, analysis bears out that the number of contraband seizures increase shortly after the appearance of such ships in our ports. Of course we know that most of them are not carrying anything illegal. But we began to watch the ships built in that kingdom and we believe we have found a possible candidate.”

“I hope you haven’t searched them yet. Mistaking a ship from another nation for smugglers would harm our relations with that country.”

“We didn’t take that action,” Kai said reassuringly. “We did, however, set a watch on them. They arrived yesterday morning for supplies.”

“And you found something suspicious,” Elsa guessed.

“We did. Last night the lieutenants here,” he gestured to the two guards who accompanied Captain Jokkon, “were watching the ship and saw a person sneak off toward the city.” He nodded to the guards.

“It was around midnight, my queen,” one of them said. “I was on watch when a figure climbed down the side of the ship and used one of the mooring ropes to get to the dock. I woke up my companion and we set off to follow him. We didn’t get far from our hiding place when we heard footsteps approaching. We hid and saw the mysterious man return carrying a small package and sneak back onboard.”

The other guard spoke up. “We informed Captain Jokkon immediately, but we didn’t have enough evidence to warrant a search. Crew members come and go all the time from these ships. We did, however, assign other guards to keep an eye on that ship for the rest of its stay.”

“You did well, gentlemen,” Elsa said nodding in approval. Once the guards were dismissed she turned to the others. “Now we have another problem that could be more serious than these smugglers.”

Everyone present except Kristoff and Captain Jokkon listened with shock as Elsa described what they had found on their journey. None of them doubted that if people could hide in the mountains so well, others were bound to do the same. Criminals, poachers, and other law breakers could live in the wilderness for a long time without fear of being caught.

“Are you worried that word of this power source would get out, Your Majesty?” Kai asked.

“I think it is a safe assumption that it will get out,” Elsa said. “I want to discuss how we are going to handle it.”

“News of this ice vault could create quite a stir,” Captain Jokkon pointed out. “We may have an influx of people who want to find if there are others in our nation. Not to mention many nefarious groups would be eager to get their hands on one. Security will be stretched at best.”

“Yes,” Elsa said. “I think that the ice harvesters and mountain men may be willing to lend a hand with border patrols. Since Kristoff manages their activities now, I think he would be the person to talk to them. He does have quite the reputation.”

Gerda smiled. “Yes, saving the princess and becoming the Ice Master and Deliverer in a matter of days does tend to have that kind of effect on people.”

Kristoff blushed, but nevertheless expressed his willingness to support his queen in any way he could. “I can talk with the elders to see if they have found anything more.”

Elsa was about to thank him when she noticed Captain Jokkon looking toward the far end of the room as if he heard something. Before she could ask what was wrong, he bolted out of his chair toward one of the back doors and yanked it open. He grunted in frustration and turned to look at Elsa.

“This door was closed before we started the meeting,” he said. “There is a spy here.”

Alarm flooded through the Elsa. If that was true, than everything they had said was overheard. She stood up. “Search the castle immediately. I want this spy captured and brought to me. Meeting adjourned.”

They stood up to leave when the doors burst open and a guard rushed in. Spotting the queen, he gave a quick bow.

“This had better be good, Sergeant,” Captain Jokkon said.

“We finished searching the prisoner, Your Majesty,” the guard breathlessly reported.

“And?” Elsa prompted.

“We found this on him,” he held up a necklace.

Elsa felt the blood drain from her face. The necklace was made of gold but it was dirty from years of being neglected. On the pendant was an emblem similar to the Arendelle crest. However, the leaves were thicker and connected further up the stem of the crocus than the national emblem.

Pandemonium immediately broke out.

“How did he get that!”

“This is outrageous!”

“What does it mean!?”

Elsa held out her hand. The soldier nervously gave her the necklace and made a hasty exit when dismissed. When the commotion calmed down, Kristoff spoke up.

“What is it, Elsa?” he asked.

Elsa felt anger rising in her.

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

Tor ran into his room, breathless. He had almost been caught. He knew that Queen Elsa would be more merciful than most rulers, but she would not take kindly to a spy. He had to find a way to tell the others the news.

Tor quickly grabbed paper and a pen and began writing. He made sure to use the code that they had devised years ago so no one could read it if it fell into the wrong hands. When he finished, he sealed it in an envelope and began sorting through some dark articles of clothing for sneaking out of the castle that night.

* * *

Reestablishing a business after the disastrous actions of the former Duke of Weselton was a difficult task. However, his nephews were not ones to back down from a challenge. Making shrewd deals and utilizing sources of revenue most businessmen would consider unethical, they had helped put Weselton’s economy back on track to prosperity. In a few more years, it should be as strong as before the events in Arendelle almost two years ago.

Their success as powerful businessmen was due in large part to their uncle’s influence. As his personal guards, they had gleaned firsthand-knowledge of economics from observing their uncle’s enterprises, both legal and otherwise.

They were also observant enough to learn from his mistakes. They knew that trying to exploit Arendelle would not be feasible for a long time at best, and they suspected the queen had gotten hints of their smuggling activities, that they were using her small country as a base for reaching other ports.

Both were enjoying a quiet evening in their shared library when a servant knocked on the door. He told them that a message had arrived from their spy in Arendelle. After he left, the brothers opened the letter.

It was a notice that three people were found and that rumors were circulating that they were frozen in ice before the queen freed them. They read further and discovered that their descriptions perfectly fit those given to them by one of their more powerful contacts.

They had found it a little odd that this contact wanted them to be on the lookout for that kind of news. However, their curiosity was quickly squelched by the desire to gain wealth and power. Maybe they could return Weselton to its former glory sooner than expected.

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

Consciousness seemed but a distant memory. Coldness penetrated his being for an interminable amount of time, consuming every thought and emotion. Blackness was all that was seen.

Then the coldness changed. The power behind it disappeared, replaced by something different, alive. For a while, the new presence soothed the harshness of the chill, making it almost gentle, though still cold beyond endurance.

Just as quickly as the change came, the cold disappeared. Blessed warmth, something that had been all but forgotten, brought awareness back along with the sensation of feeling something again.

However, it was only for a short time. Just as soon as his skin registered the hard stone beneath him, unconsciousness claimed him again, but not before he felt two fingers, rough as the earth, press against his forehead.

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

When he awoke, he was panicked to see that his world was still black. He wanted to bring his hands to his eyes but found himself too weak to even twitch a finger. His mind was also refusing to cooperate. Memories of before he was frozen were evasive. As soon as he tried to latch onto a train of thought, it escaped him.

Escape?

Yes. There was something about escaping. And his name. What was his name? Did he even have a name? Yes he did. It was given to him by two very dear people. Hyan? Hir-?

Hiram. That was his name.

All at once, the memories came rushing back - helping Shako and Nadine escape from their captors, being cornered in that cave, taking the big gamble of destroying the ice vault before it slowly froze them to death.

Hiram considered the implications of this. It would appear that instantly freezing someone or something would preserve it. In Hiram’s case, it saved him and, he hoped, the children from dying. But who freed them?

Unfortunately, the sudden flood of memories was too much for his still weary mind and chilled body. He felt himself involuntarily shiver before drifting off into the world of dreams.

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

Elsa had to pull Anna away from the children again so she could interact with the outside world. Since she showed her the pendant, it had taken both her and Kristoff to keep Anna from marching down into the dungeon and punching the man’s nose.

“C’mon, Anna,” Elsa said dragging her sister by the wrist. “The doctor said that the man we found should wake up sometime today.”

“Yes,” Anna said in exasperation. “ _Sometime_ today. That means it could be ten minutes from now or after supper.”

“We need to talk about what to do when he does wake up, Anna.”

“What’s there to talk about? He wakes up, we ask him some questions, he goes back to jail,” she thought for a moment. “Can you make it part of his sentence for me to hit him?”

“No, Anna,” Elsa said sternly. Anna looked crestfallen. “Not unless he does something foolish during the trial.”

Anna sighed dramatically.

“Now let’s go!” Elsa said, increasing her pace. “I don’t want to keep the others waiting.”

They entered the library just as the others started to arrive. Captain Jokkon, Kai and Gerda, the bishop, and Kristoff each took seats while the sisters shared the sofa. Olaf had volunteered to stay with Grand Pabbie and the doctor to watch the children, who were also showing signs of regaining consciousness.

“I want to see if they like warm hugs as much as you do,” the little snowman had told Elsa. “It’s just what they need after sleeping that long.”

Elsa sensed the tension in the room. Finding the pendant had set everyone on edge, the sisters especially. Shortly after, Elsa went to see the bishop to determine if the pendant was genuine and not some forgery. To say he was shocked to see it was an understatement. Elsa’s fears were confirmed when the bishop said the pendant was indeed real.

They were interrupted when a messenger arrived and informed them that the prisoner was awake and that the doctor was with him. Elsa ordered that he be brought to the throne room immediately. She hoped that his weakness would allow them to get more answers out of him.

Before they went to the throne room, Elsa and Anna visited Grand Pabbie. They found him with a hand on each of the children’s foreheads, his eyes closed in deep concentration. They waited quietly. After a moment, the troll’s eyes opened and turned to them.

“Have you found anything, Grand Pabbie?” Elsa asked, eager for anything that would help them discover what happened.

“It is usually very easy for me to see into the minds of young ones,” Grand Pabbie said. “But there’s something blocking me. It’s like a gray mist blanketing their thoughts. I will have to dedicate a greater amount of time to purge this impurity from their minds.”

“Have you seen any memories that this ‘gray’ mist hasn’t harmed?”

“I have been able to catch a few glimpses of recent memories. I’ve also sensed how long they were trapped in that cave.”

“Really?” Anna asked.

“Yes,” Grand Pabbie said. “I think it was somewhere between two and five years.”

“No wonder they are so weak,” Elsa said.

“Yes. These images I am seeing are of fear and panic, then cold and blackness. But I feel something else though, like an undercurrent of energy. It’s so weak however that it could just be the leftover influence of the ice vault.”

“Which the man tried to use for himself?”

“It would appear so, your highness.”

“Let’s go, Anna. Can you come, too, Grand Pabbie? I may need someone who can read his mind.”

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

Hiram woke again and felt a noticeable improvement. He could hear what was going on around him without feeling like he was trying to listen through molasses, and move his limbs, though with great effort. His eyes were another matter, however. It felt as though iron weights pressed on them, keeping them closed. No matter how much he tried, they would not budge.

Hiram took stock of his body. Thankfully, the coldness he felt deep within his chest had lessened considerably. His back felt stiff and he discovered he was lying on something made of wood. What about food? As soon as he thought that, his stomach gave a loud rumble. His throat felt extremely dry, alerting him that he needed water, and badly.

Finally, he managed to crack his eyes open a hair. He expected to see light burst through and send pain into his mind. To his surprise, it was dim. Letting his eyes close again, Hiram took a deep breath that stretched chest muscles and ribs long out of practice and tried again. This time he was able to fully open his eyes and turn his head slightly so he could get a better look at his surroundings.

He was in a stone-walled room. There was a table across from him with bottles and medical tools on it. Next to it were several chairs. The entrance was blocked by an imposing wooden door. This did not bode well for him.

He tried to move his hand upward but felt metal pull it back before he could lift it all the way. Moving his other hand and then his feet, he found they were similarly bound. He was a prisoner. Could it be that Shako and Nadine were prisoners as well? He hoped they were safe, wherever they were.

Grunting from the effort, Hiram pulled himself into a semi reclining position, the chains creating a mocking symphony of bondage. How Hiram wanted to shatter them. But his powers had not responded at all. He was as helpless as a normal human being. Until they returned, he would have to play his cards carefully.

Sound came from the other side of the door. Hiram craned his neck to see who might come in. The door opened with a loud creak and a guard, judging by the uniform he wore, peaked in. His eyes widened in surprise and he quickly closed the door again.

Hiram waited for a few minutes for someone else to come in. When no one did, he tried to get into as comfortable a sitting position as his bonds would allow. He tried to use his power to hear what was going on outside, but it remained dormant. However, he felt the smallest nudge, which let him know his abilities should soon return. Hopefully.

The door opened again and the same guard entered, followed by a man dressed in civilian clothing. He seemed to be on the older side, almost fifty probably. Gray strands lined his otherwise light brown hair. His expression was serious and unfriendly.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Hiram said, his voice sounding terrible. He coughed. “Water please?”

The man nodded to the guard, who left and returned a few seconds later with a glass of water. That sip was a soothing balm to his throat. After draining the cup, Hiram gave it back to the guard.

“Now,” the man said, “back to my question.”

“I feel well enough to not move,” Hiram answered with a small smile. “How did I get here?”

“The queen found you.”

“Queen?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Hiram sighed. This was looking more and more like an interrogation. He decided to try and change tactics.

“Where are the children who were in the cave?” Out of habit he felt for the pendant he wore around his neck, but it was gone. Alarm surged through him. “And where is my pendant?”

Unfortunately, that seemed to be the wrong question to ask. The guard tensed and placed his hands on his weapon. His interrogator whispered something to the guard and left. Another guard came in. This one appeared to be in a position of authority. His uniform was more elaborate and the first guard saluted him. Two other guards followed him in.

“I am Captain Jokkon,” he said. “You have been summoned by the queen.” At that his arms were grabbed by the two guards while the other released the binding straps. His hands were tied in front of him and they led him away.


	5. Icebound: Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, everyone! I really appreciate it. Let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments and if you want some background on story development.
> 
> Now the action heats up!

Hiram had to be carried most of the way. His strength, though returning, barely allowed him to keep his head up. Faint sounds started coming to him. First, it was the tense breath of one of the guards behind him. Then he caught the sound of an insect flying into a window. He could feel his powers stirring.

Happiness flooded him even though he was being led to an unknown fate. But his concern for his welfare was dwarfed by his concern for the children. Hiram wanted very much to see them again, to make sure they were all right. He remembered when he first met Shako, and then Nadine almost a year later - the fear and confusion on their faces reminded him of when he was rescued by his adoptive parents.

Hiram’s thoughts turned to the others. He hoped they were safe and had remained undiscovered. A familiar weight settled on his shoulders, the responsibility of ensuring the safety of his people. When he regained his freedom he would find them again.

His hands twitched. He despised it when they were bound. It was just another reminder that while he was here, his life was not his own to live. But he was able to change it. Or, he would soon be able to change it. Just as soon as his powers recovered enough to his liking, because at this point he could only hear but not manipulate sound.

He was led through two more hallways and brought before two large, ornate doors. The men escorting him stopped and Captain Jokkon knocked. A heavyset man opened them and, upon seeing Hiram, nodded to the captain and allowed them to enter.

As they stepped through, Hiram glimpsed a painting of two people with a veil over it. He was familiar enough with royal traditions to know that this was done for rulers who had passed. Even though he couldn’t see their faces very well, they seemed familiar. Unfortunately, he was pushed on before he could get a better look at it. When he passed the captain, the men holding him stopped and he felt someone lean close.

“It would go better for you if you bowed to the queen when you are announced,” the captain whispered. Hiram looked at him, but said nothing. The captain shook his head and motioned for them to continue.

The guards approached the queen. She was taller than average. Blonde, almost-white hair in a fancy braid draped over her left shoulder. Hiram couldn’t deny that she was beautiful. However, he knew too many people who looked fair and yet were as foul as the garbage their servants disposed of, so he held his judgment.

Her dress was another matter. It was beyond elegant. The way it was designed made it look natural, like it was shaped by nature and not by man. Perhaps it was. Hiram’s eyes widened when he heard the sound of ice gently rubbing together whenever she moved. When he probed further, he heard tiny wind currents flowing around her hands. From the way they moved, he guessed that they were influenced by the cold.

This person was an ice wielder, a master of the winter elements! Hiram found himself wondering how the other nations tolerated a ruler of such power. He realized his escape would not be as simple as he originally thought. Then he noticed two other people seated next to her. One was a troll, old and bent. The other was a young woman with copper-colored hair. She was not as imposing as the queen but had an air of royalty nonetheless.

The guards halted before the throne and released their hold on Hiram. Thankfully, he was just strong enough to stand on his own.

When he spoke, the lead guard’s voice resonated throughout the room. “Your Majesty,” he said, gesturing to Hiram. “The man recovered in the mountains has been brought before you as commanded.”

The guards bowed as one but Hiram chose to remain standing. Instead, he nodded to the queen as one would to an equal. He looked the queen in the eyes, sending a silent message that he would not be intimidated. The queen, to her credit, seemed to accept his challenge and so said nothing.

After regarding him for a moment she began questioning him. “What is your name, stranger?”

“My name,” Hiram said, “is Hiram.”

“Do you not have a surname?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name.”

The queen did not answer. Instead the portly servant stepped forward, his face showing annoyance. “You stand before Queen Elsa of Arendelle, stranger, mistress of ice and snow and protector of the realm.”

Hiram glanced at the servant and then back at the queen. “Then, Queen Elsa of Arendelle,” he said, “I do not have a surname.”

“Was it stripped from you for a crime?” Queen Elsa asked.

“No.”

“Explain.”

“I was never given one.” He saw a flash of pity pass over the princess’ features before she quickly composed herself. He understood why. People’s surnames were almost as important in this world as their reputations. Those without one were often considered outcasts or lawbreakers. But to have never been given one was seldom heard of.

“Is that why you wanted the ice vault? To make a name for yourself?”

Hiram sighed. These people assumed the worst about him. That was typical for royalty, quick to condemn what they didn’t understand or couldn’t control.

“No.”

The queen held out a hand and the servant brought a bundle of cloth. The queen took it and unwrapped the folds, revealing Hiram’s pendant. She held it up for him to see.

“How did you come to acquire this?” she demanded, her anger evident.

Hiram said nothing. Rage coursed through him, threatening to burst forth uncontrollably. With great effort, he quelled it. He took a deep breath. However, he did not hide the anger in his eyes when he looked at the queen again.

“It belongs to me,” he said, his voice hard. No one appeared to notice that it seemed to reach every corner of the room. Hiram felt satisfaction that his powers were growing stronger.

“It does not belong to you, stranger. It is the property of Arendelle.” The temperature in the room seemed to drop slightly. The queen’s voice likewise seemed to cool. “Again I ask, how did it come into your possession?”

“Give me back my necklace!” Hiram almost shouted taking a shaky step forward, his powers increasing the strength of his voice. He felt hands grip his arms tightly. Some of the guards were shocked and the queen’s sister looked nervous. The troll however, appeared thoughtful. Hiram wouldn’t be surprised if he already guessed what his abilities were.

Now the servant was livid. “You dare speak to the queen that way?”

Hiram shot him a glare. “Now it’s my turn to ask a question.” The guards stepped closer, their gazes vigilant. He turned to the queen. “Where are the children?”

“We will discuss them when _I_ decide,” Queen Elsa said, her gaze hardening.

“Sorry to disappoint. There will be no discussion until you tell me what you did to them.”

His powers absorbed the sudden blow to his head, but it was still enough to force him to his knees.

“You are in no position to make demands,” the captain growled after delivering the hit.

“Is that so?” Hiram challenged. He focused his thoughts on the pendant, his powers finally beginning to show some form of strength. He thrust his hands forward and a faint blue, almost white aura appeared around the necklace. The queen only had a split second to stare at it in astonishment before it shot from her hands and into his own.

The silence was almost deafening. “Even though they can be weakened, _Queen_ Elsa, our kind’s abilities are always present.” He placed it back on his neck.

The guards broke out of their shock and descended on him. Several roughly held him down while another two ripped the pendant from his neck. Through the mess of limbs and heads, Hiram barely made out the captain give the pendant back to the queen who just stared in Hiram’s direction as if he’d turned her world upside down.

The guards, satisfied that they had roughed him into submission, stood back and allowed him to stand once again. However, four now held his arms. He saw the troll slowly walking towards him.

“Grand Pabbie?” the young woman next to the queen asked timidly.

“I am going to look into his memories,” the troll said with a glance at the queen, who nodded.

All at once, Hiram’s anger dissipated like a small cloud of water vapor. Images flashed before his eyes of scenes he hoped he would never see again. Panic began to well up in him as the troll got closer.

“Don’t do this,” he almost begged. “Please.”

“It won’t hurt you,” the troll said. “You have not been forthcoming with your history, so this is the next best option.”

The soldiers forced Hiram to a kneeling position so that he was almost eye level with the troll. Even though they were not touching, he could feel the troll begin to probe his mind. He couldn’t have someone else violate his thoughts, not again. When the rough hand made contact with his forehead, a spark seemed to go off in his mind. His powers surged and built up in an intensity that astounded him. Almost on their own volition, they burst out in an explosive blast.

The guards, the troll, and everyone else in the room were thrown back. Hiram found himself free of his restraints. He smiled to himself - he could hear everything now. One of the first things he detected was the gathering of guards outside the throne room doors. Any second they would charge in.

Spotting a spear, Hiram grabbed it and broke off a section of the wood about the length of a longsword. He discarded the tip and faced the doors as the guards burst through. He raised a hand and a shockwave flew out, sending them all to the ground.

His senses prickled. He ducked just in time to avoid being struck by an ice blast. He turned to see the queen had recovered first and was about to shoot another beam of ice. He sent a quick pulse in her direction to buy himself some time and escaped through the door. The pendant was left behind. There would be time to retrieve it later when he came back for the children.

* * *

Getting hit twice by a concussive blast put Elsa in a very volatile mood. She ordered her guards to search the castle for the fugitive and that men be posted on the walls and towers in case he tried to escape across the castle grounds.

Elsa turned to her sister, worried that she had been hurt. To her relief, Anna was only slightly dazed. Taking her hand, Elsa led the way to the room where the children were sleeping. The doctor was checking the vitals of the girl when they arrived. Unfortunately, their condition hadn’t changed. In fact, they seemed to have worsened.

The boy tossed and turned and his face was covered with sweat. The girl, on the other hand, had lost some of the color on her skin and her breathing was shallow. Olaf stood by fidgeting, his face breaking into a hopeful smile when he saw the sisters and the troll.

“Elsa,” the little snowman said, “they aren’t doing very good. But you can help them, right?”

Instead of replying, Elsa glanced at Grand Pabbie, who climbed onto the boy’s bed. He placed his hand on the child’s face and closed his eyes. Anna went to sit beside Kristoff and recounted the events from the throne room. Elsa began pacing.

Minutes went by. The room’s temperature rose and dropped several times as her emotions raged within her. Other than her cousin in Corona and Grand Pabbie, this Hiram was the only other person she knew of who possessed abnormal abilities. She fingered the pendant, her powers leaching out again as anger surged through her.

She had resolved that as soon as her guards spotted this Hiram, she would not hesitate to face him herself. From what she saw, the guards were no match for someone like him. Elsa’s mind wandered back to the day almost two years ago when the Duke of Weselton’s personal guards tried to kill her. Even though she had, at that time, limited knowledge of the use of her powers, she managed to defeat two well-trained soldiers in a short amount of time.

The prisoner appeared to have considerable control over his abilities. After all, how else could someone overpower her guards while in such a weakened state? She was worried that since his powers were limited, desperation would influence his actions.

Deciding that the children and her family were safe, Elsa left the room and motioned for Captain Jokkon and several guards waiting in the hall to follow her while two others stayed to keep watch.

“Have there been any sightings of the prisoner?” she asked.

“No, Your Majesty,” the captain replied. “I expect that he is hiding. He is weak and would desire to conserve his strength. I think he is relying on his powers to move instead of his own physical strength, since he could barely stand on his own when we brought him.”

“Then we will try to wear him out through attrition and take him down.”

“For your safety, Your Majesty, please let us take care of this criminal.”

Elsa shook her head. “Out of the question, Captain. From what you saw, he is more than a match for weapons and armor. I will not stand by and let my people come to harm.” The captain knew better to argue with his queen when it came to protecting others. He had lost many such arguments in the past.

They soon approached the conference room. Before they entered however, a guard approached. He came to a stop before them and gave a quick bow.

“Your Highness,” he said quickly. “The prisoner has been spotted in the gallery. The soldiers who saw him said that he was just staring at a picture before bolting. They did not get a good enough look to see which painting he was staring at but they know it was one of Arendelle’s past rulers.”

“Where is he heading now?” Elsa asked.

“Toward the castle courtyard.”

“Come on then. Hopefully we will get there first and cut him off.” A loud crack pierced the relative quiet, reverberating through the walls. “Hurry!” Elsa said as she broke into a run. “He can’t be allowed to escape.”

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

Even though Hiram could easily break out of the castle, he preferred to do so without causing unnecessary destruction. After seeing the painting in the palace’s gallery, he tried to avoid the guards instead of confronting them head on. Unfortunately, he slipped up and let his powers get too loud, knocking out several soldiers who spotted him.

Confusion racked Hiram’s mind. No matter how he tried to discredit what he saw, the facts could not be denied. He ducked behind a pillar as a small contingent of guards rushed by, using his powers to mask any sound he made. After checking that the coast was clear, he spied a window that led to the courtyard. It would be hard - no, make that impossible - to escape unnoticed if he chose that route. The fewer people who saw him, the better.

That plan was spoiled when the captain of the guard, followed by at least a dozen soldiers and the queen herself, charged through a passageway. Hiram didn’t have any time to hide. Instead he ran toward the window as fast as he could. Shouts alerted him that he’d been seen so he picked up his pace.

Reaching the window, Hiram found the lever, unlatched it and crawled out. On the battlements, he saw guards passing to and fro. He sprinted across the courtyard, ignoring the shouts of the guards behind him. Glancing back, he saw the queen close at his heels, having used a side door near the window.

He reached the walls and, using his powers as a boost, vaulted up. A guard came at him with a sword, which he easily countered with his makeshift weapon. He only put enough power into the stroke to throw the guard back a few paces since shattering the sword would use up too much energy - energy he would need to escape.

His senses again warned him of danger and he turned just in time to see the queen separate herself from her men and create an ice pillar that lifted her up onto the walls. Hiram could see that she was livid.

“Surrender and we will show mercy,” she commanded.

Instead of anger or indignation, Hiram felt annoyance toward the queen. “Mercy?” he asked letting his frustration show. “You call locking someone up _without_ cause and treating him like a criminal mercy? Not to mention thinking you can just own children because you saved them?”

The queen seemed taken back. Nevertheless, she masked her emotions and looked at him as a person would a threat. “If you surrender now, I will ensure that you will be treated fairly.”

“Your offer is noted and ignored. Here is mine. Let me go and I will forgive your kingdom of its folly today.” Before the queen could respond, Hiram shot himself over the fjord toward the shore on the other side. He miscalculated how much energy he would use and soon lost altitude and plunged toward the dark waters below.

Hiram covered his face with his arms anticipating the impact. He was surprised that instead of splashing into the fjord, he crashed into solid ice. There was a crack and Hiram felt his neck and shoulders move in unnatural directions, but once again his powers prevented his body from suffering injury. He wondered how much longer that would last. Already he could feel them weakening as he stood up.

The ice groaned and shifted, causing him to spread his arms out to keep from falling. He would have found the queen’s ability to change the shape of ice fascinating had he not been desperately fighting for his freedom. From his earlier interrogation and subsequent escape, he deduced that she did not have as much experience fighting with her powers as he had. However, she did seem to have a knack for improvising, as the frozen fjord delayed his escape. Hiram saw that all the water from the castle to the coast was frozen solid, like a white carpet spread over the ground.

An idea came to him. He had used it to entertain children he looked after over the years. Fortunately, it required little of his power. He created a cushion of air under his feet, raising himself about half an inch above the ice, just in time to dodge another bolt of ice. He slid effortlessly on the ice as if he wore skates. Another beam came at him. Using his powers to abruptly change direction, Hiram sent a small pulse into the ice toward the queen, cracking the ice as it went. She spotted the growing gash in her construct and dove to the side as his powers exploded, sending small ice fragments and water in every direction where she once stood.

She recovered quickly and spread her hands out. Hiram saw the ice begin to ripple and morph. Pillars and walls grew out of the surface as if they were alive. Some appeared close to him while others began cropping up behind him to cut off his escape. He was forced to spend energy dodging the structures.

“Oh, come on,” he muttered when he saw several mounds like battering rams with blunted tips sliding toward him with enough speed to shatter a cart.

The first one that he dodged slammed into a wall behind him, turning it to rubble. A second rammed his side, sending him sprawling, and a third caught his legs before he could regain his footing. His momentum sent him crashing into a pillar. Once again, his powers absorbed the impact, but he felt pain in his ribs.

He remembered his mentor’s admonition of depending on his powers too much. _“Just like your body, your powers have limits. It is true that our abilities are great and some have used them to devastating effect. However, they each met their ends because they did not regulate the use of their gifts. Their powers were exhausted and they were quickly dispatched through ordinary means.”_

“ _But what if it’s all you have?” a much younger Hiram had asked. “Shouldn’t you use it?”_

“ _Yes you should, my son. What I am saying is to use only enough of your power to accomplish what you set out to do. Don’t move a rowboat like you would a merchant vessel.”_

Hiram chastised himself. He had been using his powers as if they were at full strength. Fatigue started to threaten his concentration. Meanwhile, the queen was as powerful as ever. Winds started to blow as an artificial snowstorm surrounded them both. The gale was enough to momentarily disorient him.

The queen took advantage of his distraction and sent another battering ram his way. Hiram didn’t see the threat until it was right on top of him. Thinking quickly, he thrust his half-staff forward to meet it. Remembering to conserve his strength, he only put a miniscule amount of his power into the wood. When the ice met his improvised weapon, it split in two, the pieces sliding around him harmlessly.

Hiram dodged and deflected, countering with a blast of his own when he could. The queen used her abilities carelessly, overcompensating for his strikes and dedicating too much effort into trying to stop him. However, Hiram was growing tired. He wanted nothing more than to be done with this pointless contest and win his and the children’s freedom.

“Hiram!” he heard the queen shout. “This is your last chance to surrender!”

_Surrender?_ Hiram thought with a huff. _As if_. And yet, if this queen was who he suspected, then running away and breaking the children out later would probably alienate a potential ally. He couldn’t get the image of the previous rulers out of his head. The king and queen in the painting looked just like them! The idea was so outlandish, yet it made sense. He would figure it out, but first he must escape, which was looking more and more questionable. His power stuttered and almost died out, causing his feet to brush against the ice. It was also looking like fleeing would be impossible.

Should he surrender? If he did then the troll would look into his mind and see all of his memories. He would be unable to hide anything from him. His powers faltered again which almost made him fail to dodge another ice battering ram. He found a large undamaged ice wall and hid behind it. He made his decision and sent a silent prayer before heaving his weapon over the wall.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the open and faced the queen. The fjord looked like the scene of a great disaster. Ice fragments, broken pillars and remnants of walls dotted the icy landscape. The wind howled and spun around him, making it difficult to stand upright. Nevertheless, he straightened his back and looked her in the eye.

“Alright, Queen Elsa,” he said as he drew his powers within himself. “I surrender.”


	6. Icebound: Part 6

Elsa quickly willed the storm to cease as she looked at the man in surprise.

“You surrender?” she asked, hoping she heard correctly.

He raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”

“Why?”

He let his hands fall to his sides. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Since when do you care about what’s right? You stole the pendant!” she said.

Hiram sighed tiredly. “Would you mind if I sat down? I am rather spent.” When Elsa didn’t answer, he slowly eased himself onto the stump of what was once an ice pillar.

Elsa heard a shout behind her and saw some of the guards, led by Captain Jokkon, making their way toward her through the maze of debris. She saw the worried look on his face and felt pity for the man - whose duty was to keep her safe at all costs - at being forced to watch his queen fight alone. She raised a hand to indicate all was well and turned back to her prisoner.

“You were going to say something?” Elsa prompted.

Hiram sighed again.

“Why is he sighing so much?” Elsa gave a small cry in alarm and spun around to find that Olaf had snuck up on her. She turned back to Hiram and saw that he wasn’t shocked like most people were at seeing the little snowman, just curious.

“Living snow people, I should have guessed,” Hiram mumbled.

“You’re not surprised?” Olaf asked matter-of-factly, as if he wasn’t surrounded by the chaos from the battle.

“Only a little. When you’ve grown up being different like I have, it takes a lot to shock you.”

“Ohh,” Olaf said. “So what kinds of powers do you have exa-”

“Olaf,” Elsa gently interrupted the little guy.

“Yes, Elsa?” Olaf said.

“Can you go find Anna and see if she is alright for me, please?”

“Sure thing!” Olaf happily waddled off to the castle.

There was a moment of silence as they watched the snowman leave.

“Should I sigh again?” Hiram asked.

Elsa gave him a smirk that held no humor. “What _were_ you going to say?”

“I was going to tell you that I did not steal the pendant. It is rightfully mine.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true.

“This is pointless,” Elsa turned to the arriving guards. “Return him to the dungeons.”

Hiram slowly stood up and allowed himself to be led away. Elsa followed closely behind, thawing the ice as she went. By the time they reached the shore, no trace of their battle remained. The fjord was as peaceful as ever, pristine and welcoming.

They circled the walls and entered the courtyard through the front gates. Servants, guards, and civilians had gathered and watched Hiram with fear and anger as he was led inside. More guards lined the walls in an almost too-obvious attempt to intimidate the prisoner. More than a few gripped their weapons tighter as he was led away.

Elsa barely registered them entering the castle and making their way toward the dungeons. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t see that the group had stopped and almost bumped into one of her guards. She could feel the blood rush to her face at the embarrassing situation she nearly caused. Fortunately for her, the guards were preoccupied with the prisoner so they didn’t see their queen’s expression.

Curious, Elsa walked to the front of the group to see Hiram staring at the portrait of her late grandparents. Then Elsa saw something that she didn’t expect. She saw sorrow, and most surprising of all, love. She could tell that this was not something born of a few days or months. His sorrow was so deep that it almost hurt for her to look at him.

“Hey!” Captain Jokkon yelled as he shook Hiram.

The young man jerked as if surprised and looked at the captain. “Who are they?” he said hoarsely.

“Recognize them?” the captain asked. “They are the queen’s grandparents. The pendant you stole was theirs. We don’t take kindly to people who see others as opportunities for riches.” The other guards nodded.

“I say again,” Hiram’s voice almost cracked. “I did not steal it.”

The captain looked like he was about to say something else so Elsa decided to intervene. “Let us continue captain,” she said. “Grand Pabbie will search his mind for the truth.” She turned to one of the guards, ignoring the panicked look on Hiram’s face. “Please send for him.”

The guard nodded and left. They soon reached the dungeons once more and placed Hiram in a larger room meant for interrogations. Because of the lack of crime Arendelle had experienced since Elsa’s great-grandparents’ time, the only device used for extracting information was a chair with bindings, but that was moved so the prisoner could be lowered to the troll’s height.

There was a short debate on whether they should bind the prisoner. Fortunately it was resolved when he collapsed on the ground, his breathing strained. The captain simply posted two soldiers on either side of the prisoner. A moment later, the guard returned with Grand Pabbie, followed by Kristoff and Anna.

“I have good news, your Highness,” the troll said. “The children should be awake within the hour.”

“Olaf wanted to stay and be the first thing they see,” Anna said. Her gaze fell onto the prisoner sitting on the floor. Elsa watched with growing alarm as her sister’s face contorted in rage. For someone with such a positive personality, it was strange to see her so angry.

Grand Pabbie approached Hiram with Elsa and Anna not far behind and held out his hand. “As I said before,” he explained, “this will not harm you.”

“You’d be surprised,” Hiram said.

Grand Pabbie hesitated. “Wh-”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Hiram said in resignation.

In her rush to get a good view, Anna accidently bumped into Elsa. She didn’t know how or who made her loose her balance, but Elsa found herself falling. She groped for something to hold onto and found Anna’s wrist. Unfortunately, the princess was still trying to regain her footing and ended up being dragged down along with Elsa.

It happened so fast. Elsa saw Grand Pabbie raise his right hand, a soft glow on his fingers. Anna latched onto Grand Pabbie’s other hand and the troll was dragged forward the rest of the way. Once his hand made contact with Hiram’s forehead, a flash of white flooded Elsa’s vision. She barely registered the guards and Kristoff yelling before all awareness escaped her.

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

Anna felt herself floating, falling, and rising all at once. It was so disorienting she felt like throwing up, even though she felt no nausea, didn’t feel cold or warm - she was simply aware.

Her sister’s voice entered her thoughts. _Anna_.

_What?_ she thought.

_Anna, follow my voice_.

_How can I when you’re inside my head?_

_Ohh, right_.

Anna thought for a moment. How could they find each other? They couldn’t see or feel anything and they appeared to be in some sort of limbo.

_Maybe we don’t need to find each other, Elsa_ , Anna sent.

_Because we are in the same place_ , Elsa stated, catching onto her train of thought.

Anna felt her excitement rising. _Okay, where should we go first?_

And just like water on a flame, Elsa’s logic doused it. _Nowhere at the moment because our minds are trapped_. Anna could feel her sister’s frustration.

_I can feel your emotions, Elsa_.

_Sorry. But_ you _are kind of like a bright campfire, Anna_.

_Ohh. Don’t think there is anything I can do about that_.

_Nope._

_Aren’t you supposed to be encouraging or some other type of big sister thing?_

_When I feel like it._

Anna huffed.

_I heard that._

Anna was starting to not like reading other people’s thoughts. _Where do you think Grand Pabbie is?_

_I don’t kn – Ahh!_

_Elsa?_ She could no longer hear her sister’s thoughts. _Elsa!_

Wind started buffeting Anna and she felt a falling sensation. All was black, yet she could feel herself falling faster and faster, the wind pulling on her hair. Wait. Anna reached for her face and relief flooded through her. She had her body again!

“All right!” she cried for joy, happy to hear her own voice again.

Suddenly, she was standing on the ground, if that’s what it could be called in whatever this place was. All around her, fog blocked her sight. It rolled and shifted without the aid of wind and seemed to have a kind of intelligence to it.

“Anna!” Anna turned to see a figure running toward her. It was Elsa! Anna found herself pulled into a tight hug, which she returned eagerly.

“Anna, Elsa.” They turned to see Grand Pabbie slowly walking toward them through the fog with Hiram not far behind.

Anna did a double take. This Hiram was vastly different than the one in the real world. While the other one was slightly stooped and dressed in old clothing, this one stood straight and proud. His clothing, while not new, looked to have been selected by some of the best tailors in Europe. Every item was well designed but practical. The way he looked at them brought to mind how a king would view his subjects, searching for ways to help make their lives better. She resisted the urge to bow.

“I am glad you are safe,” the troll said. “It was a surprise that you joined us in the world of minds though.”

Elsa gave Anna a mock glare, which she ignored.

“So,” Anna said. “Can we go back now?”

“Not yet,” Hiram said. His tone was soft but firm.

“You don’t have the authority to keep us here,” Elsa said, more used to dealing with people of his stature.

Anna was surprised when Grand Pabbie supported him. “I have seen his memories. It would take days to tell all that happened. However, there is one that nicely answers your accusations.”

Anna and Elsa looked at each other, confused. How can one memory answer for all that he did?

“Come,” Hiram said as he turned and walked away, clearly expecting them to follow.

Anna hesitated. But she saw Grand Pabbie walk after him without a second thought and started to follow. She heard Elsa give a huff and turned to see that she hadn’t moved from her place.

“C’mon, Elsa,” Anna encouraged, taking her hand.

They caught up to Hiram and Grand Pabbie, who were already in a discussion.

“I am not very good at telling time in the mind world,” Hiram was saying. “How long have we been here?”

Grand Pabbie stroked his chin for a moment before answering. “Probably no more than five or seven seconds.”

“It always amazes me how much can happen inside someone’s head,” Hiram said shaking his head.

“Wait,” Elsa said. “We have been here for a very long time. How can it be only seconds in the real world?”

“I am not entirely sure why,” Grand Pabbie explained. “I think that it is because our thoughts move so quickly that even though we seem to be moving or thinking at a normal speed, we are in fact going faster than anyone outside.”

“Why are we walking if you can just make the memory appear wherever you want?” Anna asked.

“Every person’s mind is like a giant map,” Hiram explained. “Each location accesses a different part of my memories. What we are looking for is over there.” He pointed a little to the left in front of them.

Anna was surprised to see a small, sparsely furnished room, materialize out of the fog. Only two of the walls were visible, allowing them an unrestricted view of what was going on inside. There was a simple bed and a chair. On the bed was an elderly couple who looked very familiar.

Next to her Elsa gasped. “Our grandparents!”

Then Anna recognized them. They were her father’s parents. Though sickness and time changed their appearance, they were definitely the people in the paintings she knew so well. She looked closer and saw that her grandfather held the pendant and was looking at it closely as if coming to an important decision. Next to him, their grandmother started coughing and hacking. He turned to his wife and tried to help as best he could.

The door burst open and in rushed a younger version of Hiram. Anna guessed he was somewhere around 15 or 16 years old. She was surprised at the worried look on his face when he saw her grandmother’s condition. Anna found herself slowly walking closer so she could hear what was being said.

“Here,” the younger Hiram said, lifting her grandmother into a sitting position. He let her finish coughing before giving her a small cup of water that was floating nearby. Anna guessed that he was using his powers to make it hover like that.

“Thank you, Hiram,” Anna’s grandmother said shakily as she slowly eased herself back down.

Hiram just patted her hand and walked to the other side of the bed and knelt by her grandfather. “How are you feeling Papa?” His voice was filled with worry and pain.

Anna jerked back as if struck. He considered them his parents? She had a sinking feeling there was more going on than she originally thought. Glancing at Elsa, she saw a puzzled expression that must have mirrored her own.

“Every day I feel weaker, son,” her grandfather said. “It is only a matter of time. Hey,” he reached out his hand to the younger Hiram’s face and wiped away a tear. “You know we all die eventually. It’s in God’s hands.”

“I know,” young Hiram said miserably.

“I know that you fear being alone,” Anna’s grandmother said, her voice tired yet loving. “But you will have our people to look after now.”

“Wait,” Anna said. “What people?”

“Listen, Anna,” Grand Pabbie said.

Anna turned her attention back to the memory. Young Hiram was tightly grasping her grandfather’s hand as her grandfather used his arm to push himself up. With his free hand, he removed the pendant from his neck and held it up.

“This has become a symbol of safety and hope for our people, Hiram,” he said. “It now comes to you to protect them.”

Young Hiram slowly took the necklace and placed it reverently on his neck. As soon as he released it, the memory started to fade. Anna could still hear them talking, but couldn’t make out the words. Finally, the memory dissipated into the fog. Anna looked between Elsa and Hiram a few times trying to comprehend what she had seen.

“Does this mean he is our uncle?” Elsa asked appearing to be in shock.

“Not really,” Grand Pabbie said. “Hiram was adopted by your grandparents, who raised him and taught him everything they knew.”

“How come they never came home?”

“Your grandparents were captured by a person with abilities similar to mine. He was able to cloud their memories of who they were and enslave them. They found Hiram soon after.”

“In that place,” Hiram said with bitterness, “your grandparents were not the rulers of Arendelle, or even members of your family. All of that was stripped from them when they were taken, just like it was for me.”

“That story can be told later,” Grand Pabbie said. “I think now it is time for us to go back and sort this out.”

They nodded and Grand Pabbie held out his hands. There was a flash of white light and Anna felt herself become weightless again.

* * *

When Hiram came to, he found himself lying on the floor with two guards holding him by the shoulders. He heard a moan and lifted his head to find the queen and princess being helped to their feet. A man with blond hair and dressed in simple but elegant clothing was helping the troll chief. The other guards looked at each other and the sisters in concern and confusion.

“Your Majesties,” the captain said, “are you alright?”

“Yes, Captain,” the queen said reassuringly. “We’re okay.”

When her gaze turned to Hiram, he couldn’t help but stare. So many emotions showed in her eyes it was hard for him to follow. He saw anger, disappointment, worry and fear swirl around each other as if caught in a winter snowstorm. Whatever the queen did with the revelations from his memories would be crucial in deciding his and the children’s fates.

At the edge of his vision, he saw Anna shift her feet uncomfortably when he did not tear his gaze away. The others must have noticed it as well because the soldiers again tightened their hold on him, causing discomfort in his left shoulder. He winced when too much pressure was put on an old wound.

“What did you see, Elsa?” the blond haired man asked.

Queen Elsa slowly diverted her gaze. “We saw enough, Kristoff.” She turned to the guards. “Escort him to the room next to where the children are being kept.” The captain opened his mouth to protest, but Queen Elsa held up a hand to stop him. “Send for the servants to see to his needs.”

“But my queen,” the captain objected anyway. “He attacked you. What if he did something to you when you were with the troll in his mind?”

“Grand Pabbie made sure that no actions against my person were attempted. Go now. We will see how the children are faring.” The captain snapped to attention and gave a small bow. He straightened and signaled the guards, who led Hiram out.

Now that he was not rushing to escape the castle, Hiram was able to appreciate it. Its design was simpler than most of the other royal dwellings he had visited before. The other castles were gaudy or overdone - they did not have a homely feel to them. They seemed more like imposing fortresses that would be ill suited for a family to live in.

This castle, on the other hand, had an atmosphere of peace that he had not felt for a long time. There was an undercurrent to it however, like something was just waiting be let out. It didn’t feel dangerous. On the contrary, it seemed friendly, fun.

But the feeling that stood out most to him was something he did not expect. In other places he had sensed something similar, but this was almost oppressive, like chains keeping people from getting hurt but lessening their freedom. It felt –

“We’re here,” the captain said. He didn’t look very happy that his queen had ordered her prisoner all but set free.

A guard opened a door and Hiram found himself staring at a well-furnished guest room. The walls were painted in cheery tones of green, gold, and blue. A fire was already lit in the hearth, casting the room in a soothing, yellow-orange glow. A bed stood opposite from it with a desk by the window.

The best part was the view. The window overlooked a portion of the harbor and the stunning landscape beyond the town. By the window was a simple but comfortable handcrafted chair with the nation’s crest on the back rest. Hiram could just picture himself sitting for hours on end staring out the window, enjoying the peace and quiet.

But first things first - he must rest. The events of the day - from awakening in a dungeon cell to fighting a wielder of ice and snow - had drained him so much that he felt he could sleep for two days straight and still need more.

“There will be a guard posted outside in case you need anything,” the captain explained, his voice hard. Hiram knew it was more of a warning than a statement.

“Thank you, Captain,” Hiram said.

The captain did not reply and instead turned and left with the guards. Once the door was closed, Hiram immediately began to shed his heavier outer layers. When he was first frozen, it had been winter. Even now, he still felt a chill from the effects of the ice, but decided that standing in front of the fire was better than bundling up.

Now in a simple shirt and pants, he leaned over the fire, letting the heat luxuriously waft over him. He felt a tingling sensation run through his fingers as blood finally flowed without resistance. Soon, a servant entered.

Hiram sensed something different about him. The servant’s frequency output was familiar. It wasn’t until he heard a cough that he finally recognized who it was. “Hello, Tor,” he greeted without looking up.

“Um, yeah,” the young man said uncertainly. “Hi, Hiram. I forgot you were able to do that. It’s been a long time.”

Hiram turned to see that the skinny kid of seventeen years had grown into a fine young man. His shoulders had broadened and he was taller.

“How long?” Hiram asked as he pulled Tor into a tight hug.

“Three years,” Tor said, his voice breaking. “Three years of trying to survive on our own. If you hadn’t pushed us so hard to learn to take care of ourselves without you, we wouldn’t have made it a year without being captured.”

Hiram’s arms tightened as the news sank in. “Three years.”

So long.

Tears welled up in his eyes. “Three years.”

\--<(]{--<>\--}[)>\--

Elsa decided to change her attire before seeing the children. After the guards left with Hiram, she and Anna went to Elsa’s bedroom. Once they arrived, Elsa swapped her battered ice dress for a full dress suitable for a queen.

Once Anna enthusiastically proclaimed the dress the definition of perfection, they hurried to the living quarters where the guest rooms were. They paused in front of the one where Hiram was being kept. The guard posted outside said that Hiram hadn’t caused any disturbances and that the servant Tor was seeing to his needs.

Satisfied that all was in order, Elsa and Anna walked to the next room and were about to enter when they heard a shout behind them. Anna turned and her face lit up with a smile. Elsa didn’t follow her gaze since she knew only one person could make her smile like that.

“I thought you were already inside,” Anna said.

“Grand Pabbie was tired from working with three minds instead of one,” Kristoff explained.

“My fatigue came not so much from the number of people I was linked with, but the shock,” Grand Pabbie said. Elsa saw that he seemed more stooped than usual.

“Well c’mon,” Anna said grabbing Kristoff’s arm. “Let’s see if they’ve woken up yet.”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” Kristoff laughed as Anna dragged him through the door, leaving Elsa and Grand Pabbie outside.

“How are you doing, Elsa?” Grand Pabbie asked in concern.

“I’ll have to tell you later,” Elsa replied. “It’s still very confusing. I have so many questions.”

“I understand. In time, you will hear the whole tale.”

They found the doctor and Olaf listening as Anna and Kristoff talked about what happened in Hiram’s mind. The children were still asleep, however their breathing was stronger and deeper than before. Also, they did not appear as pale.

Grand Pabbie placed a hand on the girl’s forehead and then the boy’s. He mumbled something to himself and gave the others a small grin. “They will be waking up momentarily,” he announced happily.

Sure enough, they both began to stir. Their movements at first were erratic, like a person learning to use his limbs again. The boy muttered something about leaping off a cliff and the girl just gave a dramatic sigh.

Elsa almost laughed out loud and Anna had to cover her mouth with her hands. Elsa had a feeling that these children would be lively once they recovered from the effects of being frozen for so long. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the girl’s eyes had opened.

Anna gasped and it didn’t take Elsa long to figure out why. Instead of a blue color or even brown, this girl’s irises were a pale white, almost blending in with the rest of her eyes. She saw that Grand Pabbie seemed to be deep in thought and so was not going to provide an explanation.

The boy opened his eyes to reveal bright amber staring at her. Elsa stood stock still as she watched the boy search her face. His expression did not change for a while. Then she saw realization, shock, fear, and panic. Worried, she glanced back at the girl and noticed her expressions almost mirrored the boy’s.

“Wh-who are you?” the boy asked, struggling to sit up.

“I’m Anna,” her sister said. Unfortunately, that did not seem to calm them down any.

“Where are we?” the girl asked. She had propped herself on an elbow and was trying to get her bedsheets off.

“You are in Arendelle,” Elsa said gently.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Elsa. I’m the queen.”

The children looked at each other for a moment, a message passed between them. The boy lifted his hands and a stream of water shot past them and soaked the fireplace. He ran to the girl and dragged her to the window. They hunched together on the floor, fear and confusion pouring off of them in waves. Fear of her, Elsa realized, and confusion about something she couldn’t identify.

“Wait, please,” Elsa implored, walking slowly toward them. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“That’s what they all say,” the boy snapped.

“I don’t harm children,” Elsa said. “I’m like you.” She held out her hand, palm facing up, and created several intricate snowflakes that swirled around each other.

To her surprise, that did not seem to help. Instead, they looked at her in terror like she was some sort of monster. She saw the girl was holding out her hand. A white glow appeared around it and she felt something tugging at her powers. A second later, the white glow turned to light blue, as did the girl’s eyes.

Elsa’s astonishment turned to shock when ice shot from the girl’s hand and formed a wall, cutting them off from the others. She stole a glance at Anna and saw that her sister’s mouth was hanging open. Kristoff and the doctor also looked surprised, but managed to keep their composure. Through the ice, Elsa saw the blurry outlines of the children moving erratically, their arms gesturing as if they were in an intense debate.

A noise outside the door caused her to glance back to see Hiram and the servant Tor burst in with angry guards at their heels. Hiram’s face showed great concern when he saw what had caused the commotion. Before anyone could stop him, Hiram rushed past them and placed his hand on the ice.

“Shako, Nadine” he called, his voice seeming to penetrate the very walls of the room. “It’s me, Hiram.”

“Hiram?” a soft muffled voice asked.

“Yes. Lower the ice.”

“I can’t, I don’t know how.”

Hiram turned to Elsa. “How do you control your powers?”

Elsa hesitated, wondering why he had to ask that question. Shouldn’t they already know the answer if the girl had ice powers?

Before she could reply however, her sister spoke up. “The secret is love. Love will thaw.”

Hiram smiled and turned back to the children. “Nadine, the secret is love.”

There was a pause and then they heard an “Okay”. Slowly, the ice melted and faded as blue tendrils swirled around the structure. In a matter of seconds, the wall was thawed to reveal the children. The girl seemed fine but the boy was shivering. That’s when Elsa noticed that the temperature in the guest room had fallen.

“There you go-” Hiram was cut off when the children launched themselves at him, tackling him with a hug. Elsa couldn’t hear all of it, but the words ‘worry’, ‘missed you’, ‘thought we were dead’ and ‘scared’ were discernable.

The boy muttered something into Hiram’s ear, peaking over his shoulder at Elsa. She felt a twinge of sorrow when she saw that the fear hadn’t completely left him. Hiram followed his gaze for a moment and locked eyes with Elsa. She saw him smile briefly and felt hope rise up within her. He looked again at Shako.

“Yes, Shako,” she heard him say. “We _are_ safe here.”

* * *

A man gazed out his window at the majestic peaks surrounding his fortress. He knew that the location was well hidden, yet he always felt a quiver of fear shoot down his spine when he thought of what would happen if someone found it.

He shuddered at the memory of how his last fortress was lost many years ago. His pride and joy was ruined because he hadn’t kept a close enough eye on the boy. Fortunately, the boy was lost several years ago, which allowed him to build a new home.

“Master.”

He turned to find his chief servant standing in the doorway.

“Enter,” the man’s low voice commanded. The grey coating on the servant’s eyes darkened slightly as he approached the lord and bowed. “What news do you bring?”

“Master,” the servant said again, handing him a small scroll. “Your accomplices in Weselton sent this.”

“It is urgent,” the lord mumbled as he unrolled the parchment. The servant said nothing; his mind did not desire to converse with others more than what was necessary. It used too much energy.

The man’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the document. “Disturbing.” He looked at the date. One week ago. “Send for the others.”

He ripped the message to shreds, watching with satisfaction as they fluttered to the ground. How he wished to do that to the boy. Now he would get his chance and bring new additions into his growing domain.

A gentle current of air blew past his face. He didn’t need to look to know that a young woman was standing behind him.

“What is your will, my lord?” her voice carried like the whisper of a breeze on a cool spring day.

He smiled to himself. “We leave at dawn to right some wrongs, my dear.”

The wind grew stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of Icebound! Hope you all enjoyed it so far! The next update will begin the second arc: Mind Lord.


	7. Mind Lord: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part of The Ice Wielder has begun! Enjoy!

A slight tremor shook the castle walls. No one heard or felt it except for the young man sitting in the chair. He watched as two children slept peacefully in their beds, their frequencies strong and consistent though shadows were still visible under their eyes.

Less than two days after they had regained consciousness from their ice prison, the children fell ill from a virus that afflicted them for over a week. Their fevers broke three days ago, much to his relief. Even though they were no longer sick, they needed a couple of weeks at least to recover. The queen had been very gracious in giving them a place to stay in the palace. The children were eager to explore a castle that wasn’t filled with people wanting to hurt them. He would have to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn’t overexert themselves.

Another tremor, this time followed by the rumble of thunder. The young man stood and walked over to the room’s only window that overlooked the fjord. The mountains blocked the light of the sun as evening set. He watched as people in homes and on ships began hanging up lanterns. Soon Arendelle would be illuminated by the gentle glow of a thousand small flames.

It would not last long, however. The storm was rapidly approaching and people would begin preparing for its arrival. He was also going to prepare in his own way. Quietly, so as not to wake the children, he made sure they were snug in their blankets before turning to leave. His hand touched the handle and he was about to turn it before hearing the girl stir.

“Hiram?” she asked sleepily, a little worried.

“It’s only a storm, Nadine,” Hiram said reassuringly. “You can go back to sleep.”

“Okay…,” she trailed off as sleep claimed her again.

Hiram eased the door open and slipped out, carefully closing it again.

* * *

Queen Elsa of Arendelle.

It was a rather exciting title. Most people could only dream of ruling a country. Some tried to take that power by force or political intrigue. But Elsa suspected they didn’t take into account the often dreary duties a monarch had to perform, because right now she was swamped with paperwork. The coming of spring had once again presented opportunities for nations to try to use the friendlier weather to negotiate new trade agreements and alliances.

Despite the importance of reading and answering the proposals and creating drafts of her own, Elsa’s thoughts kept turning to Hiram and the children. Two weeks had passed since she discovered that he was raised by her own grandparents. But because he was so focused on taking care of the children during their illness, he’d had little time to actually talk with her about how he met them and why they never tried to return home to Arendelle.

The few times Elsa was able to talk to him, he hinted that the man Isten had a very large part to play in their story. There was also the fact that whenever he spoke about Isten his eyes became alert - almost as if he was expecting to see the man appear out of thin air. She had scoured all of the castle’s resources in an effort to find out any new information about her family, but came up empty-handed, so she was forced to wait to hear her grandparents’ history from him. She did not want to wait much longer.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw frost gathering on the arms of her chair. She lifted her arms and the frost stopped spreading. Taking a deep breath, Elsa forced herself to relax and watched as it receded. She learned long ago that her powers tended to leach out whenever she was bored. It wasn’t so bad. She often enjoyed watching her ice form without her consciously controlling it. Elsa stood up and stretched her right arm behind her back, using the left to pull it farther.

“Elsa I – Whoa!” Anna said poking her head through the door.

“What?” Elsa asked facing her.

“Your arms!” Anna exclaimed. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

Bringing her arms to her sides, Elsa gave Anna a puzzled look.

“It kinda looks creepy the way you do it,” Anna said.

“How does it look creepy?” Elsa asked. “I’m just doing this,” she stretched her arms behind her back again.

Anna shivered then turned her head away. “Sorry, but I can’t look at it.”

Elsa relaxed. “Fine.”

“Anyway, what kind of work are you doing right now?”

“Oh, uh, nothing really interesting ,” Elsa said, picking up a couple of pages and waving them at her sister. “Just a pile of trade requests and a petition signed by three people who want me to change the overland trade route so it runs by their inn.”

Anna picked up some of the papers and began reading them. Elsa had tried to give her sister as much responsibility in helping run the small kingdom as possible. Mostly it was in the form of drafting replies to various kingdoms and representatives and acting as a liaison of sorts for the ice harvesters with Kristoff.

“It would be cheaper for them to sell the inn they have and build a new one on the existing roads,” Anna said when she finished. “Not to mention that it would take years to reroute the existing trade route.”

“Yeah,” Elsa agreed, “it’s pretty much a no brainer.”

“You haven’t even started your reply yet.”

“I was distracted.”

“You were distracted while replying to something as simple as this?”

“It was tedious, Anna,” Elsa sighed as she handed her one of the trade proposals. “This one was especially tiresome.”

“What’s so bad about a trade proposal?” Anna asked turning her attention to the letter. Elsa watched her face as it went from curious to confused and finally, a little dazed.

“Well?” Elsa asked, snickering.

“I only got through the first paragraph,” Anna said almost slamming the paper on Elsa’s desk. “What kind of a king hires someone who can’t even spell ‘Majesty’? It was more like ‘Mashety’.”

“Aren’t you upset about the way they spelled Arendelle?”

“I am,” Anna said, “but seriously, what is ‘plz’?”

“’Airindell’ all by itself makes me want to refuse them.”

“So refuse them. I mean, I think this is a ‘thanks’ but they spelled it ‘thx’. How can we expect them to hold up their end of the agreement if they can’t keep track of what they write?”

“We’ll see. I’ll meet with Kai tomorrow and try to at least make some sense of it.”

“I’ll go too.”

They walked out of the office and made their way to Anna’s room. Elsa remembered that her sister was going to ask her something before she got distracted with her stretching.

“What were you going to ask me before seeing my arms at unnatural angles?”

“Ha! So you admit it,” Anna smiled.

“No, just using your own words.”

“I wanted to know if you were up to an evening in the library since there’s a storm coming.”

“Really?”

“Well, I mean, if you’re up to it - I mean you don’t have to - but I was hoping that -”

“I was talking about the storm,” Elsa said interrupting her sister. “And yes, I would love to spend the evening with you.”

“Great! Let’s get some chocolate!”

Elsa laughed and led her sister down the stairs to the kitchens.

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

“Looks like someone got here before us,” Anna said, looking at the light shining underneath the library’s door.

“Want to go to our bedroom instead?” Elsa asked as she snuck a bite of one of the chocolate treats she carried.

“No, we can probably share with whoever is in there and why are you eating already?” she looked at Elsa accusingly.

“Shorry,” Elsa said around the treat.

Anna huffed. “Come on.” She opened the door and they quietly walked in.

They found a hearty fire already burning in the hearth, casting a steady light into the library. Rain beat against the windows creating a symphony of little pats. It made the library feel cozy, perfect for watching a thunderstorm. They didn’t notice the chair and small table by the window until its occupant saw them and quickly stood up.

“Forgive me,” he said. Surprised, Elsa accidently dropped the plate of chocolates. The speaker quickly thrust out his hand and a blue field shot toward the snacks and suspended them in midair just before they hit the ground. “I thought the library would be empty this evening, Queen Elsa.”

“Oh, Hiram,” Elsa gasped, bringing a hand to her chest. “I had no idea you were there.” She gave the plate to Anna who held it out to him.

“Sorry,” Hiram repeated as he lifted the chocolate snacks back where they belonged. “Sometimes I’m very quiet without meaning to be. If you want me to leave then - ”

“No, that’s okay,” Anna hastily reassured him. “We can sit together.” She walked up to the table next to Hiram’s chair and saw an empty plate with chocolate crumbs. “You brought your own chocolate?”

“The cook said it was alright.”

“I just didn’t know you liked chocolate.” Anna replaced the empty plate with the full one.

_That’s not the only thing we don’t know about him_ , Elsa thought.

She went to bring chairs for herself and Anna, but Hiram stopped her. “Allow me.” He walked over to two chairs by the fireplace. A blue glow spread along their frames, lifting them off the floor. Hiram sent them to the window and gently set them down.

“That was amazing,” Anna said, her eyes wide with wonder.

“It was,” Elsa agreed. She hadn’t seen much of his power since the day of their fight on the fjord. “Also, please call me Elsa. I don’t care much for formality outside of official events.”

“Alright, Elsa.”

While the others sat in comfortable silence, Elsa could barely restrain herself from throwing question after question at Hiram. Here he was without the care of the children commanding his attention and she didn’t know where to start.

All she knew was that her grandparents mysteriously disappeared a few years before she was born. Her father always spoke highly of them, especially of what they taught him about ruling Arendelle. Surely Hiram would be able to answer a few questions tonight since there was no rush to do anything else. Her thoughts were interrupted when lightning flashed, followed two seconds later by thunder.

“Storm’s almost upon us,” Hiram remarked.

“I thought it already was,” Anna said.

“That was just the outer bands. In about half an hour we will get its full strength.”

“How can you tell?” Elsa asked.

“Sound travels at a certain speed through the air,” Hiram explained. “So based on how soon we hear the thunder after a lightning strike, I can tell how far away the strongest parts of the storm are. The rain is getting heavier as well.” Sure enough, the splatter of rain on the window increased in intensity.

“So you can hear things other people can’t?”

“Yes.”

“What else can you do?”

“Hmm,” Hiram said, “Well, I have the ability to manipulate air pressure and sound. Boats can float on the water because they are less dense. I use the same principle in lifting the chairs by making the air underneath them denser.”

“So it’s like they’re resting on a cushion?” Anna asked.

“Exactly,” Hiram said with a nod.

Elsa had been wondering about something else though. “How did you make my ice rams shatter?”

“I can also create vibrations similar to how sound works. You told me how you discovered that many of the weapons in the cave were shattered. The vibrations I sent through them were so intense that the weapons were destroyed.”

“Vibrations?”

“More like shockwaves.”

“I see.”

“So how powerful are you?” Anna asked.

Elsa looked at her. _That’s the question of the year_.

“I don’t really know,” Hiram admitted after a moment.

“Wait. You don’t know _exactly_ how powerful you are?” Elsa asked in astonishment. Why would someone like him not know what he was capable of? What would keep him from finding out?

“I know that I can be weakened,” Hiram said, “which limits my abilities. But I never attempted to push myself to the limit because whenever I got close I started destroying everything around me.”

Elsa looked down at her hands. “I think I understand,” she said softly.

“Haven’t you learned to control it?” Anna asked.

“Oh I have,” Hiram said. “That’s just the natural result of using my powers so much.”

“Have you tried seeing how powerful you are, Elsa?” Anna asked.

Elsa turned in surprise to her sister. Anna had never asked her that before. “You know, I haven’t tried either. Freezing Arendelle seems to be a good example of what I can do.”

“Oh,” Anna said and that seemed to be the end of the conversation.

The storm continued to grow in intensity until lightning began to strike so close that they heard the loud booms of thunder almost immediately after. The sisters offered to share their chocolate with Hiram, but he refused any more since he already finished his own stash.

Elsa couldn’t relax, though. She didn’t understand why there was so much secrecy in her family. Her father never told her much about her grandparents except for what they taught him. Whenever she wanted to know more, he would grow sad and say that he would tell her closer to her 21st birthday. Unfortunately, he died before he had a chance to tell her, taking his knowledge with him.

Now, here was a person that was raised by her mysterious ancestors. He could tell her more of what they were like. Who was her father more like, her grandmother or her grandfather? How did her grandfather come up with the phrase that seemed to be increasingly defining her rule?

She had to know. “Hiram?”

“Yes, Elsa?” He no longer sounded relaxed. He must have sensed the gravity of her question.

“What were our grandparents like?”

* * *

Even though he knew they would soon start asking questions about Mama and Papa, Hiram still felt unprepared to do their memory justice.

“Where do you want me to start?” he asked.

“Did they like chocolate?” Anna asked.

“Anna,” Elsa admonished. She picked up another chocolate and stared at it as if it might give her the answer to Anna’s question.

“Sorry. I wanted to know if it ran in the family.”

“That could be a good place to start,” Hiram offered.

“Okay then,” Elsa relented, popping the chocolate in her mouth. “ _Did_ they like chocolate?”

“They _loved_ chocolate,” Hiram grinned. “It’s a good thing I did, too, or else they might never have taken me in.”

“Har har,” Anna said sarcastically. “What did our Grandmother like to do?”

Hiram thought for a moment, going back to the days when he was little. He pictured Mama and Papa, along with their close friends, catching a few hours of break time before they had to start working again. He saw everyone watch her, mesmerized by her skill.

He smiled. “She liked to sing. She had an amazing voice. Every night that I spent with them she would sing me to sleep. When I was older, she helped me find my own singing voice.”

“So that’s where we get it,” Elsa said. “Our parents didn’t sing that much, but Anna and I break into song almost three times a day.”

“Yeah!” Anna agreed. “Kristoff likes to sing, too, but he’s more interested in folk songs, and that one about reindeer being better than people.”

“He sang it to Shako and Nadine a few days ago,” Hiram nodded.

“In that memory we saw,” Elsa said, “our grandparents said that you were to lead your people. What did they mean?”

Hiram instantly deflated. _Some leader I am turning out to be_ , he thought. _My people are scattered across the continent without a place to really call home and without a leader_. He sighed.

“Isten had many servants that he kept under his control,” he told them. “Most of them were people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even though your grandparents suffered the same fate, they did all they could to help the captives. Over time, some began to see them as their true leaders and slowly started to reject Isten’s influence. They were so good at keeping their relationships secret that it was only a few months before Mama and Papa died that Isten began to suspect that his control over his servants was weakening.”

“Now that Shako and Nadine are better, can you tell us all that happened to them?” Elsa asked.

“It will take some time to give the whole story,” Hiram said through a yawn.

“We’ll start tomorrow evening then,” Elsa said, smiling at her sister who was yawning as well. “I don’t want to go any longer without knowing what happened to them.”

“I understand.”

“Oh,” Anna said after a moment of silence, “I wanted to ask. Can Kristoff and I take Shako and Nadine into town tomorrow?”

“Well,” Hiram said, “when are you thinking of going?”

“After breakfast.”

“Sure. It’ll be good for them to get some sun and fresh air.”

“Great!”

“Make sure they eat lunch.”

“Okay. Thanks Hiram!”

They watched the rain for a while longer until the grandfather clock struck 10 p.m. Hiram excused himself. The sisters’ soft murmuring, mingled with the raindrops, faded as he left the library and walked back to his room.

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

“So if you hook up the harness like this,” Kristoff explained, “the leather won’t rub against the strap near the buckle.” Anna watched as he finished latching Sven to the wagon and climbed onto the driver seat. Shako had mentioned before they left the castle that he and Nadine often assisted with harnessing animals when they traveled, so Kristoff asked if they wanted to help him saddle Sven before they went into town. Since they were already growing accustomed to the reindeer, they agreed.

“I see,” Shako said. “What do you think, Nadine?”

“It definitely helps it last longer,” Nadine said as they walked to the back of the wagon.

“They harness animals differently were you came from?” Anna asked, grabbing Nadine under the arms and helping her into the wagon.

“Except for that part about the buckle,” Shako said, “no.” Anna offered to help him up, but he declined.

“Everybody ready to go?” Kristoff asked.

“We’re all set,” Anna answered as she settled on the driver seat next to him.

“Then let’s go!” He picked up the reigns, ready to send Sven cantering.

“Wait for me!” Kristoff froze and everybody turned to see a little white snowman waddling toward them as fast as his feet could carry him.

“Hi, Olaf!” Nadine said, smiling at Elsa’s creation. “You can ride with us.”

“Thanks! Um, where’re we going?”

“Is everybody settled now?” Kristoff asked.

“Yep!” said Olaf, sitting between the children, apparently distracted from the question. Anna was glad that Hiram let them take the children out for a day in the village, since they were beginning to get restless - always a good sign after fighting off a cold.

“So where are Hiram and Elsa?” Olaf asked as they passed under the gates and onto the bridge leading to the village.

“They stayed behind to speak with Tor,” Anna answered.

“But Hiram hasn’t had the grand tour of the village yet.”

“I know. But Tor said it was important.”

“Okay,” his said, slumping a little, but he soon perked up when they crossed the bridge and spotted some people waving at them in greeting.

“So,” Olaf said, looking at the children as he waved back. “I’ve been wanting to ask if you guys like warm hugs.”

Shako and Nadine looked at each other then back at the snowman. “What are warm hugs?”

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

“You did what!?” Captain Jokkon thundered as Tor shrank away.

“I’m sorry,” Tor said shakily. “I saw someone listening in on your conversation, but he ran away before I could get a good look at him. I was going to follow him, but then I heard you talking about Hiram.”

“What were - ?”

“Captain,” Queen Elsa admonished. “Please let him finish.”

“When I heard you say he was alive,” Tor continued, “I must have made a sound.”

Hiram sat listening to the conversation with concern. If Tor found one spy there could be others. Whoever he or she worked for probably knew about him and the children by now. He had hoped that the news of his and the children’s existence could have spread a little more slowly. One of the reasons they were able to survive was because people didn’t know who they really were and so dismissed them as wandering peasants.

“Then what did you do?” Queen Elsa asked.

“I – uh - went…” Tor tried to explain. Hiram saw him faltering and sent him a comforting word that only he could hear. Tor looked at him briefly then took a deep breath. “I went back to my room and wrote a message. It was in a code that has remained unbroken for almost ten years so there is little risk of other people reading it. That night, I snuck out of the castle and sent it off by messenger pigeon.”

There was silence. Hiram wondered what the queen would do. How would she take the news of a spy in her castle? He knew that distrust and fear could quickly fill the castle if word of this incident got out.

“Hiram,” Queen Elsa finally said.

“Yes, Queen Elsa?”

“What exactly is your relationship with Tor? From the way you two have behaved around each other for the past two weeks I would have thought you were long lost brothers.”

Hiram felt a smile tugging at his lips. “In a way we are. I’ve known him since shortly after he was born. We were raised in the same castle under Isten’s rule. When we freed ourselves from his control, Tor came with us and had been my faithful friend and assistant for many years.”

“Then we are in quite a quandary.”

Hiram nodded in agreement. “I believe we are.”

Hiram and Queen Elsa locked eyes. Hiram felt an understanding pass between them. He waited for the queen to make her decision.

“I’m sorry that you got mixed up in this affair Tor,” she began, “and I am glad that you told us what you did.” Hiram saw Tor almost slump with relief. “However, the fact that you have lived with Hiram for most of your life complicates things.”

“My queen?” Tor asked uneasily.

“Now that Hiram is with you again I am offering you a choice. People can’t have conflicting loyalties, so you must decide whether to return to Hiram’s service and help your people or to continue with your duties in the castle.”

“Must I decide now?”

“Do you want some time to think about it?”

“If that is alright with you, my queen.”

Queen Elsa gave him a comforting smile. “Yes. Can you give us your decision by tomorrow evening?”

“I can.”

“Then you are excused from your duties until then.” Tor gave a bow and walked out. “Captain, I will see you tonight to discuss the information about the spy.” Queen Elsa nodded to the captain, who bowed and left. Once the door closed, she let her queen mask slip a bit as she leaned back in her chair. “What do you think Hiram?”

“I think, Queen Elsa that - ” he saw her raise an eyebrow. “Elsa. I think you made the right decision.”

“I hope so. If I allowed him to continue serving with the castle staff while helping you find your people again, then the poor boy would be running in circles. It would be cruel to force that on him.” She gave a soft laugh. “I am calling him a boy and yet he is only a few years younger than I am.”

“I used to be six years older than him, but being frozen reduced that to three,” Hiram looked away. To him, Tor seemed like a strange mix of boy and man, the loss of innocence warring with Hiram’s memory of his loyal friend. _Another consequence of my failure_ , he thought bitterly.

“What was it like, being frozen alive?” Elsa’s asked, drawing Hiram’s attention back to the present. “You don’t have to share if it makes you uncomfortable,” Elsa hastily added when Hiram looked at her in surprise.

“I don’t really know how to explain it,” Hiram began, trying to switch gears. “I wasn’t really unconscious though. Time seemed to warp and bend. It felt like the cold lasted for an eternity but at the same time only a few seconds. Does that make any sense?”

“I think so,” Elsa said uncertainly.

Hiram’s mind wandered back to that day three years ago when he fought Isten in the mountains of Arendelle. He remembered the ice vault somehow becoming damaged and Isten beating a hasty retreat. He looked at his hands and felt a tingle as he remembered how much the cold hurt them, and destroying the ice vault, and feeling all-consuming cold.

“It sucked the life out of you.” Elsa’s statement caught him off guard.

“I’m sorry?”

“It was so cold that life seemed to drain away, leaving nothing but emptiness.”

Hiram thought for a moment. “Sounds about right. Is that how you sensed it in the first place?”

“No,” she said, remembering that night in the library when she lost herself in the foreign presence. “That only happened when I started searching for the heart of the power.”

“Oh. I still feel phantom chills every so often. I don’t think that is something that will ever really go away.”

“I’m sorry you went through that,” Elsa said. Hiram didn’t need his powers to hear the sadness in her voice.

“I should be the one to apologize, Elsa.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never thanked you for saving us. If it had been much longer, the ice vault probably would have lost the rest of its power and we would have faced a slow death.” His dark blue eyes met her lighter ones. “Thank you.”

Elsa smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Hiram stood up to leave. He walked to the door and was about to open it when Elsa stopped him.

“Hiram?”

“Yes, Elsa?”

“How dangerous is Isten?”

His eyes seemed to bore into hers. “If he wanted, he could rule every kingdom you know.”


	8. Mind Lord: Part 2

_Where could they be?_ Hiram wondered as he walked outside behind the castle. Even though Arendelle was one of the more northern countries, Hiram still felt plenty of heat from the midday sun. _Good, the warmth should help Shako and Nadine feel better_ , he thought.

Hiram spotted a guard patrolling at the base of the wall and walked over to him. “Pardon me.”

The guard looked at him and halted. “What can I do for you?” his voice was neither friendly nor hostile. Hiram was grateful for that. Even though the misunderstanding between him and Elsa had been resolved and the castle staff knew of his relationship with Queen Elsa’s grandparents, he still saw some distrust and fear when he was around them. He was glad the distrust was not extended toward the children.

“I am looking for Shako and Nadine, have you seen them?” Normally, Hiram would have used his powers to locate them, but because of their situation he wanted to try to find them using traditional methods first. Besides, he could use the exercise.

“The children? I saw them go out that door over there with the princess and Kristoff.” He gestured to a small door in the wall.

“Thank you,” Hiram said.

The guard bowed and continued his patrol.

The door was old, but opened with only minor squeaking. Hiram travelled down the short flight of steps and walked out to the rocky shore just in time to be soaked by a blast of water. _Looks like I found them_ , he thought wryly while reaching up to squeeze the water out of his hair. He was definitely glad for the warm weather now.

“Hi, Hiram!” Hiram looked to his left and spotted Shako waving at him while Nadine tried unsuccessfully not to smile. Next to them, Princess Anna and Kristoff didn’t bother trying to contain their mirth.

“Did you use your copy of my powers to time it, Nadine?” Hiram asked.

“Yeah,” Nadine giggled, her dark blue irises turning back to white.

“You should have seen your face,” Anna said gasping for breath. “It was priceless!”

“I’m sure,” Hiram said, trying to hold back a laugh of his own. Of everyone in the castle other than the queen, Anna had been the most open to them living there.

“Are you here to say that we should go back inside?” Shako asked, eyes pleading in a vain effort to gain sympathy and a few more moments outside.

“You did just get over an almost two-week cold.”

“But it’s warm out here!” Anna protested.

“Have they had lunch yet?” Hiram asked her.

“Oh no!” Anna exclaimed. “We completely forgot about that!”

“So that means I’m here to take you to eat lunch and tell you that the queen has decided that I will be telling our story to everyone this evening.”

“Yes!” enthused Olaf, who had waddled in on the conversation.

“Does this mean we can start using our powers more?” Shako asked.

“In a couple of days,” Hiram said. Shako and Nadine groaned.

“Oh don’t worry,” Anna said. “The time will pass quicker than you think.”

“That’s right,” Hiram said, lifting up his dripping arms. “Can you dry me off now?”

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

Elsa was trying to make further progress with the poorly written trade proposal when she heard a knock on the door. The other proposals were all sorted and filed away with notes on how they were to be answered. Later, she, Anna, and Kai would begin writing replies.

“Come in,” she called.

“You called me your majesty?” Kai asked, poking his head into Elsa’s study.

“Hello, Kai. Yes, please come in. Have you seen Anna?”

“No, your majesty,” he said, coming up to her desk. “Last I heard, the princess was - ”

“Right here!” Anna said, barging in. “Right here and ready for some detective work!”

“It’s boring detective work, Anna,” Elsa pointed out.

“Better than nothing,” Anna said. “Besides, if it turns out they insulted us, we can draft a very creative reprimand.”

“Uh huh.” Elsa turned to Kai and handed him the letter. “What do you make of this, Kai?”

Kai read the letter silently, no emotion showing on his face. The sisters waited tensely, hoping to catch any hint that would betray what was going on inside his head.

“Hav - hmph,” Anna began, but Elsa clamped a hand over her mouth, silencing her. Finally, Kai finished reading the letter and laid it on the table.

“What do you think, Kai?” Elsa asked. Instead of answering, Kai reached into his coat, took out a napkin and used it to wipe his forehead.

“That bad?” Anna asked.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Kai answered. “It is very difficult to make out exactly what they are trying to propose.”

“I felt that it would be best to refuse them because of the difficulties we are already having trying to decipher their letter.”

“I agree, Your Majesty. However, I think it would be wise not to mention the poor quality of their letter. It may sound insulting.”

“I agree.” There was silence for a moment.

“Did you figure out what they were proposing?” Anna asked.

“I think that they wanted to buy lumber from us.”

“We don’t have lumber for exporting,” Elsa said. “In fact, we import much of what we use because of how difficult it is to bring it down from the mountains. Plus we lack the means for shaping and forming it on a scale large enough to make a profit.”

“That’s true,” Kai said. “The money they offer in return won’t be enough to cover the expenses.”

“Would you please help Anna draft a reply turning down their offer?” Elsa asked.

“Of course, my queen.”

“Good, I’ll leave you to it then. I am going to get a few things ready for tonight and grab something to eat.”

“You missed lunch, too?” Anna asked.

“Well, yes,” Elsa ducked her head a little.

“What have I told you about that?”

“‘Don’t miss lunch or any other meals unless I want to look anemic’,” Elsa quoted.

“Do you want to look anemic?” Anna asked, her hands on her hips.

“Of course not!”

“Then go eat lunch or we’ll start calling you ‘Elsa the Stick Queen’.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Elsa said as she opened the door.

“You won’t be alone. Hiram joined Kristoff and Shako and Nadine in the kitchen.”

Elsa stopped, looking back at her sister. “You forgot to have them eat after they were sick for over a week?”

“I have to focus on the letter now,” Anna said not looking up.

Elsa grinned. “You do that.”

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

Elsa found the children and Hiram in the kitchen sitting at a table surrounded by seven or eight servants and Olaf. On another table were a few plates of half-finished meals. Kristoff stood off to the side, looking on with a smile on his face.

She walked over to stand next to him. “What’s going on?”

“Nadine starting creating little ice crystals on the table out of boredom and the cooks quickly became mesmerized by it,” Kristoff explained. “Throw in Olaf and soon enough, well, here we are.”

Elsa’s attention was drawn again to Nadine, who had created a snowflake the size of a small dinner plate. It hovered in the air for a few moments before it fizzled out. Some of the servants giggled or gasped in wonder like little children. Elsa smiled.

“Elsa!” Olaf called, popping his head up over the crowd. “Come see what Nadine can do with her gift!”

Unfortunately, hearing the name of their queen caused the servants to quickly turn around and look at her with embarrassment. Elsa looked at each person there and saw that Hiram, the children and Olaf were the only ones not worried about what she would say next.

“I see that everyone is having a good time,” she said after a few seconds of awkward silence. Some of the servants nodded timidly. She smiled. “However, I am afraid that this is not the place for an ice show. Let’s head to the courtyard. Everyone has the next hour off.”

The servants cheered and quickly tidied up whatever would not keep while they were gone. Elsa, followed by Olaf, Kristoff, Hiram, and the children, went to the courtyard and took her place in the center. A few moments later, Anna came out, followed by Kai and the rest of the castle staff. Townspeople started to arrive as well and soon the courtyard was full.

“Good thing you’re doing it today, Elsa,” Anna said. “It’s been more than two weeks since the last snow demonstration.”

“Yes,” Elsa agreed then turned to the gathering crowd. “Ready everyone?” The crowd cheered.

She stomped the ground and created a large ice rink. Once people began skating Anna gave her a peculiar look.

“What?” Elsa asked.

“You weren’t in there very long,” Anna observed. “How much did you eat?”

“Ummm...”

“I am literally going to assign you a guard to make sure you eat regularly.”

“Why would I need a guard when you are doing it already?” Elsa mumbled.

“I heard that.”

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

Hiram didn’t let Shako and Nadine skate for very long, since they’d already had a full morning and a late lunch. They protested at first, but eventually gave in and followed him inside. Hiram made eye contact with Queen Elsa briefly and gave her a smile before he left.

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

Before coming to Arendelle, Tor had rarely heard of lord or king who treated servants well. They almost always saw them as a nuisance or property. Isten looked at the slaves he controlled like they were pieces on a game board. Hiram was one of the only people he knew of who treated his followers like family. Had Tor not grown up with Hiram, he would have had no trouble giving his loyalty to Queen Elsa and her sister.

Tor shook his head as he walked down the hallway to Queen Elsa’s office that evening. He dreaded the upcoming meeting. When he arrived at the door he lifted his hand and hesitated. Sighing, he pushed aside his doubts and knocked.

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

Elsa watched Tor leave her office. She wasn’t surprised at his answer. Over the past two weeks, she saw how close he was to Hiram and the children, spending every spare second of his free time with them. Most importantly, she saw the love they showed each other. She came to realize how much of a family they were and knew that if Tor wanted to remain on her staff she would have done all she could to convince him to stay with Hiram.

She picked up the reply Anna drafted and gave it a quick read-through before signing it and placing it in a pile for correspondence. With a small gust of cold wind, she doused the candles and left to find her sister before heading for the council room, where she would finally hear Hiram’s story.

* * *

Anna watched as her sister talked with Kai and Captain Jokkon. Elsa had taken her place at the head of the table in the council chamber. Anna sat at her right with Kristoff next to her, and Kai and the captain were seated on her left. The chair across from Anna was left empty for Hiram. Seeing Elsa fully in her queen mode, Anna couldn’t help but feel proud of how good a queen her sister was. Waiting for Hiram to arrive was making her nervous, but Elsa was as calm and regal as ever. _Though maybe just a little stiff_ , she thought.

Now that Anna noticed it, Elsa was probably as nervous as she was and was working extra hard to hide it. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Anna turned her head and saw Kristoff giving her a reassuring look. Anna took a deep breath and felt some of the tension leave her. Kristoff withdrew his hand and gave her a smile. Movement to her left distracted her train of thought and she saw Olaf looking at her, concerned.

“What is it, Olaf?” Anna asked.

“I don’t know,” Olaf said. “It’s just that we are about to learn what happened to your grandparents. Are you nervous?”

“Yeah, I am,” she confessed, “but also excited at the same time.”

“Would it help if I held your hand?” he asked softly.

“I think it would.” Anna smiled fondly as she let the little snowman take her hand.

She turned her attention to Elsa’s conversation and after a few seconds learned that there was a new development in the smuggler problems that they were trying to solve. Apparently, whoever was running the operation was also using Corona for their shipping network. Their cousin, Rapunzel, wrote that their connections discovered the activities only a week ago and rushed word to Elsa with their assurance that they would share any information they might find. Anna asked if they could use that as an opportunity for them to visit Corona again and Elsa agreed that it would be a great idea.

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation and Kai answered it to admit the bishop, Gerda, Tor and Hiram. Elsa gestured for them to take seats at the table and motioned for Hiram to take the vacant chair on her left. Once everyone was seated, Elsa stood up.

“I called this meeting so we can hear Hiram’s history and about my grandparents’ disappearance and what their fate was. I have asked Kai to record his story.” She sat down again and nodded to Hiram.

“Thank you, Queen Elsa,” Hiram said. “For the record,” he glanced at Kai briefly, “my name is Hiram. I don’t have a last name for reasons you will soon hear. I am twenty-three, but because of my imprisonment, I was born twenty-six years ago.”

“What was your home like?” Olaf asked.

“I barely remember it. But it was probably in a small village. I think I had a reputation for breaking stuff. No it wasn’t like that,” Hiram said quickly at their doubtful expressions. “My powers were just beginning to develop, which I believe caused my birth parents a great deal of concern. I don’t think I got out of my home very often.”

“That’s sad,” Anna said, remembering her own isolation.

“Perhaps,” Hiram allowed. “But that was also a time when witch trials were more commonplace. Unfortunately, my parents’ concerns were well founded, for it was not long after that my home was attacked.” Anna paled and felt Olaf’s wooden hand tighten. “I remember my mother screaming as men dragged her away. I saw my father on the floor and other men pointing spears and swords at me. Then I saw _him_.”

“Isten?” Elsa asked.

Hiram nodded. “Yes, Isten. He stood at the door looking at me. We locked eyes and I felt as though he was looking inside my very thoughts. He nodded to one of the men, who ran at me. I scrambled backward as quickly as I could and bumped into a wall. The man thrust his spear.” Olaf gasped and Anna saw the normally stoic bishop’s eyes widen. “I closed my eyes and heard the sound of something stab wood. The man had struck just inches away from my head. I screamed and felt something powerful surge within me.” Anna noticed that his knuckles whitened as he gripped the arms of his chair. “When I looked up, the man was no longer standing over me but moaning on the floor by my father.”

“Isten stepped over them and walked up to me. I don’t remember everything he said to me. My vision began to cloud and I felt myself standing up and following him as if my limbs were under someone else’s control. Just before I blacked out completely, I heard my father’s voice calling me. That’s how I know my name.”

“How can you remember so much?” Gerda asked. “Usually, people have few if any memories of when they were so young.”

Hiram thought for a moment before answering. “Maybe it was because I was so terrified that the episode burned itself into my mind.”

“What did your parents look like?” Anna couldn’t keep quiet anymore. “We can send out letters and - ”

“I already tried.”

Anna was confused. “What do you mean?”

“I already tried finding them. I must have looked in every country in Europe.”

“Wouldn’t Isten know who they are?”

“He destroyed any records he kept. He didn’t want to risk anyone returning to their homes and telling the whole world about his existence. He even erased his own memories of our families.”

“Ohh.” _There goes that idea_ , Anna thought.

Hiram relaxed his grip on the chair and leaned back.

“Over the next couple of years, Isten tightened his hold over my mind and taught me how to better control my powers. He taught me how to shatter glass and create shock waves powerful enough to crack metal. My mind was in a semi-conscious state so that I could learn and remember, but not fight against him. He was also training two other students, a little younger than I was, but I didn’t see much of them at first.”

“I also learned more about what my ‘mentor’,” Hiram stressed the word, “could do. He has the ability to influence other people’s minds, like how Grand Pabbie can. However, instead of healing or restoring, Isten enslaves and controls.”

“What harm can he do with that?” Kristoff asked.

Hiram looked at him. “He has spies scattered across the continent. That was three years ago. I do not have any recent information to give you, unfortunately.”

He looked at Tor, who leaned forward and addressed the queen. “After Hiram disappeared, we were thrown into chaos. Isten used the knowledge he gained from Shako and Nadine and managed to capture many of our people.”

“He has eyes and ears all over Europe?” the captain asked, shocked.

“And influence,” Hiram said. “Isten knows many secrets. He uses that knowledge to force rulers to cooperate with him. I watched him do it. For a little boy, it was very scary, especially when he made me help him. One time, I tried to resist and succeeded to a point. However, Isten became very angry and punished me severely. I was five.”

“What did he do?” the bishop asked.

Hiram sighed. “His methods of punishment don’t usually involve physical pain but they are severe. In my case, because my powers protected me from things that would kill a normal person, he delved into my mind and forced me to see terrifying images and live out my worst fears. It might have lasted a day or maybe as long as a week, but it felt like an eternity to me. While he was in my head, he told me that the only way to be free of the torment was to surrender myself fully to his control so that I would never cause those nightmares to become real. When the images stopped, he was gone and I was reduced to a quivering wreck.”

Hiram smiled. “I was at the point of giving in when I felt a hand touch my cheek.” He looked at Elsa. “It was your grandmother. She and your grandfather found me while Isten was gone. I was suspicious at first, thinking they were another one of Isten’s mind tricks, but after a few days I grew to trust them and we quickly formed a bond. I spent as much time with them as possible when Isten was away or preoccupied. I was six years old when they officially took me as their son.”

“We were able to keep Isten from learning about our relationship for many years. Your grandparents also began to attract some of the servants who saw their kindness toward me. A small group formed under their guidance and leadership - a tiny kingdom if you will.”

“I guess deep down, Grandma and Grandpa knew who they were,” Elsa observed.

Hiram gave a small nod. “As time passed, Isten accelerated my training and had me interact more with his two other students, Matej and Harriet. Matej was actually one of us. I considered him a friend. Harriet, on the other hand, remained fiercely loyal to Isten and became suspicious of us as time went on.”

“When I was sixteen, Harriet , Matej, and I traveled with Isten to visit an allied king. When we reached our destination, he received word that Mama and Papa fell sick.” Anna started at the way he referred to her grandparents. “Harriet had told him of her suspicions a few weeks earlier so he used the news to test our loyalty.”

“What happened?” Kai asked.

“Oh, I failed it,” Hiram said. “I couldn’t focus on Isten’s mission to do him any good. We returned two weeks later and I discovered that they were near death.” Anna felt tears sting her eyes. He looked at Elsa. “The memory you saw was three days after I came back and two days before they died. At the funeral, Isten lamented the loss of two useful servants and said more workers would have to be assigned to the smithy since there was no one who could manipulate metal in your grandfather’s place.”

“Wait,” Anna interrupted. “Manipulate metal? Our grandfather was no metal worker.”

“Of course he was,” Hiram countered. “He was the best in the world. No metal smith could even come close to his abilities.” He looked around. Anna could see his incredulous expression change to realization. “You don’t know.” It wasn’t a question.

“Don’t know - ” Anna began but was interrupted by Elsa.

“What is it, Hiram?”

“Your grandfather was a wielder, Queen Elsa,” Hiram said.

“Wait, what?” Anna asked. She looked at the others and saw that they were just as surprised as she was. Kai’s face lost some of its color and Captain Jokkon went rigid. The bishop looked worried, but Anna paid them no mind when her eyes fell on Elsa. Ice flurries swirled about her and frost appeared where her hands gripped her chair. Her eyes were riveted on Hiram as if he were some kind of aberration. “Elsa?”

Her sister closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The ice on her chair dissipated and the flurries faded. Elsa glanced at Anna briefly then turned her attention back to Hiram. “What were his powers exactly?”

“He could mold and shape metal,” Hiram answered though his voice was a little more subdued. “Isten had him extract metal from his mines and construct tools and weapons. He told me he even made the pendant.”

“He was forced to build weapons for an army?”

“Yes, though it was more of a large security force.”

Anna could see the shock hadn’t worn off Elsa’s face, and by the way Kristoff was looking at her, neither did the one on hers.

“How could we not know this? Did any of you know?” Elsa asked. The others either shook their heads no or murmured that they did not. “Hiram - ” she asked, but Hiram held up his finger and looked toward the back of the room. A blue glow emanated from his hand, casting the council chamber in its light.

“What are…,” Elsa trailed off, but Anna could see that she was still talking. Then she realized that there was no sound in the room at all. Elsa stopped and stared at Hiram with fear. Captain Jokkon rose and was about to draw his sword but Hiram held up his hand to stop him, his expression grim.

“There may be some information in the library that we have missed,” Kai said. But when Anna looked at him he was staring at Hiram with fear in his eyes.

“Then what are we waiting for,” Anna heard her own voice say. Realization dawned on her and she turned to Hiram with a glare but stopped as he gestured to the captain to follow him. They cautiously crept toward a door at the back of the conference room. The false conversation was still playing in the background but Anna wasn’t paying attention.

Hiram placed his hand on the door handle and held up three fingers. Comprehension showed on the captain’s face and he nodded. Hiram silently counted down and when he reached zero he yanked the door open and both he and the captain charged in. The fake conversation instantly ceased and sound returned to Anna’s ears. She almost sighed in relief, wondering how not hearing her own breath or the small sounds of life around her could make her feel so empty.

Hiram and Captain Jokkon emerged seconds later dragging the struggling form of one of the palace guards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review!


	9. Mind Lord: Part 3

“Here is your spy, Queen Elsa,” Hiram said grimly. _It’s a sad day when the ones who are sworn to protect you and their country turn traitor_ , he thought as he watched the queen lower her head.

“Sergeant Stent,” Captain Jokkon said, shaking his head. “I’m disappointed.” The sergeant said nothing. Kai walked to the doors, opened them, and called for some guards to bind the spy.

“Let me go, Kristoff!” Anna protested as the ice harvester kept a firm grip on her arms while she strained toward the traitorous guard.

“Why?” Queen Elsa groaned, raising her head to look at the spy. The two guards finished their work and stepped back from the spy, who had been forced to his knees. Hiram saw that one of them was shaking with rage.

“You froze Arendelle for almost three days,” Sergeant Stent said. “You are too dangerous to be trusted with the future of this country.”

“I’m sorry, Your Maj - ” Captain Jokkon began but Hiram cut him off.

“He’s lying.”

“What?” Captain Jokkon asked.

“That’s not why he betrayed the queen.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been around enough double dealers, thieves, and shady characters to know how someone’s frequency changes when they lie. So,” Hiram knelt down, staring the guard in the eye, “why are you really spying on the queen? And don’t say ‘I am doing it for the good of Arendelle’.”

Stent said nothing.

“Alright then,” Hiram grabbed the guard by the throat and slammed him against the wall, careful to keep him from suffering injury. His power flowed into his voice making it stronger and more threatening. “Who hired you?” He growled.

“W-Weselton,” Stent said stuttering.

“Hiram!” Elsa called, but it was muffled by the energy in the air. Hiram let the terror stricken soldier slide to the floor and looked at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Am I right to assume that the methods of persuasion you allow your guards to exercise include limited physical harm?”

“What does that have to do - ?” Elsa started to ask, but Hiram didn’t let her finish.

“This man knows the workings of your castle and how you refuse to allow your prisoners to be tortured. This was the best way to get the information out of him. As you can see,” Hiram hauled the prisoner roughly to his feet, “he has no injuries and is only a little shaken.”

Hiram looked at the captain. “That time it was the truth. He’s probably doing it for money.”

“Perhaps,” the captain allowed. He nodded to the guards, who hauled Stent to his feet and led him out.

Hiram caught Queen Elsa’s gaze as he walked back to his chair. He had taken over the interrogation of the prisoner when it was the captain’s responsibility to handle him. _If I’d waited_ , he shuddered at what happened the last time he waited. _Still,_ _I need to be more careful. Elsa is the queen and I need to gain her trust_. He sat down and waited for the others to speak.

“I will need to check on the rest of the guards,” the captain said, “and keep a closer eye on them to make sure they aren’t doing anything that would compromise our security.”

“Do what you need to, captain,” Queen Elsa said. “We will talk about this after the meeting.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” the captain bowed his head and resumed his place at the table. Princess Anna had calmed down, but Kristoff looked at her in apprehension.

“Thank you for your assistance, Hiram,” Queen Elsa said. “But next time, leave the questioning to us.”

“I am sorry that it turned out to be one of your guards,” Hiram said, not addressing her request.

He watched as Elsa’s eyes narrowed and was slightly relieved when she didn’t pursue the matter further. “Please continue with your story.”

Hiram sank into the chair. Not only were the memories difficult for him to bring up, but catching the traitor had cast a melancholy mood on the attendees. “You now know why Queen Elsa’s grandparents disappeared all those years ago. After they died, Isten learned how much of an influence they had on our lives. He was furious and took out his anger on everyone associated with them, especially Matej and I.”

“He tried to break us down. He believed that my parents fed us dangerous ideas, so he used his abilities to counter them. Fortunately, my adopted parents raised me well. I resisted. Matej wasn’t as resilient and succumbed to Isten’s power before his health was affected. But by the end of the month, I became sick from his nonstop efforts and didn’t show any signs of improving for a week,” he grimaced. “Some of my people were worried that it was life-threatening since it appeared similar to the sickness that took your grandparents. I recovered after two weeks, just in time to witness Isten bring in another wielder not much older three.”

His fists clenched at the memory of watching a young life about to be enslaved. “The reason we never rebelled against him before was because his mind influence and indoctrination made us believe that what he was doing was for the greater good. My parents believed it to a point, but there was always doubt about his true intentions. I was strongly indoctrination as well. Even though I fought back as hard as I could, the hold he had over my mind kept me from breaking free of his control.”

Hiram fought down the anger that rose within him and took a calming breath. “Isten wanted me to prove my loyalty to him once and for all by using my powers to harm the little boy, knocking him out so Isten would have an easier time entering his mind and putting him under his control. What he didn’t realize was that his influence over someone’s mind grows weaker over time, similar to how a drug creates tolerance in the body. Despite his weakening hold over me, I wasn’t able to fight off his control. I watched helplessly as my hands rose up to knock the poor boy out so Isten could begin his work.”

From the corner of his eye, Hiram saw Anna lean forward in anticipation. “I could feel the power coursing through me, almost begging to be let out. My eyes met the boy’s and I saw the same fear and terror I felt when Isten took me away from my home and family. In that moment, Isten’s influence over my mind disappeared. I scooped the boy up and faced my former master. I can’t begin to describe the anger I was feeling,” Hiram paused and looked around. He noticed that the glass panes in the windows were shaking and that Queen Elsa and some of her staff were looking at them worriedly.

“Sorry,” Hiram took a deep breath and felt some of the anger fade. The rattling stopped. “Isten had mistreated my parents, dishonored their legacy, and enslaved my people. My powers burst forth almost on their own accord, throwing him back and destroying the walls behind him. Soldiers burst in and drew their weapons, but I knocked them out easily. Harriet appeared next, but I knew much of what she was capable of and sent a shockwave that blasted her through a wall. Matej was right behind her, but I was able to persuade him to join us instead of serving Isten.”

“During the fight, I was able to free many of my people, including Tor, and help them escape. Their indoctrination was strong, but because of the belief they had in my parents and now me, I managed to convince them it was the right thing to do. I didn’t keep track of how much time passed because I had to constantly shift my attention between fighting Isten, Harriet and the soldiers, and protecting my people, but I was told that it took a little more than an hour for them to escape the ruins of the castle.”

“You destroyed his castle?” Kristoff asked.

“Yes. To give you an idea of its size, imagine a castle complex about ten times the size of this one. In my anger and desperation, I didn’t leave one stone in place. I practically turned it to dust.”

“You fought two people of similar talent to yours,” the bishop said. “That is rather impressive.”

“I had the element of surprise,” Hiram said. “Isten and Harriet did not use all their strength because they wanted to recapture us, which gave me an advantage. If they were fighting without holding anything back, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you today. I would probably be in jail or fully enslaved as one of Isten’s mindless drones.”

Dimly, they heard the sound of a grandfather clock chiming.

“Shall we convene and continue with this meeting tomorrow at the same time?” Queen Elsa asked. When no objections were raised she dismissed the meeting.

Hiram stood to leave with the others, but Queen Elsa stopped him. “Hiram, would you join the captain and myself in my office?”

“Of course, Queen Elsa,” Hiram said a little nervously.

“It’s just to talk about what happened earlier.”

* * *

Elsa gestured Hiram and Captain Jokkon toward two chairs in front of her desk. The revelation of the traitorous guard had left her shaken. She found it hard to comprehend why someone would betray his own country. On the other hand, Hans was able to convince some of her own guards that she was a murderer, so whoever Stent was working for may have used similar means of persuasion.

She looked at Hiram, expecting him to say something, but he remained silent. The captain was looking at her expectantly.

“Do you think, Captain, that Stent is the only spy in the castle?”

“I hope he was, Your Majesty,” the captain said. “But hope seems to be something we can’t depend on.”

“I can almost guarantee that things will get worse,” Hiram said ominously. “A lot worse.”

“How?” Elsa asked, though she already suspected the answer.

“Isten.”

“Why does this man want to control your kind so much?” the captain asked.

“It has to do with our,” he gestured between Elsa and himself, “ancestors. Isten was able, thanks to his abilities and tireless research, to piece together a rough history of our kind. Apparently there were once many wielders, though no more than a hundred or so at a time. Isten suspects that there can be no more than a thirty people who have the gift today.”

Hiram glanced at Captain Jokkon then back at Elsa. “Millennia ago, there were many power struggles amongst them. Isten discovered that some of the calamities of the past were caused by them. As the years passed, greater numbers of wielders went into hiding, some because they were worried that openly showing their abilities would harm or anger others, and some because they were being hunted for using their powers for evil. Isten believes that we can’t be trusted to use our powers responsibly and that his ability makes him the only one alive who can effectively keep us under control.”

Elsa shared a glance with Captain Jokkon and nodded for Hiram to tell what he knew.

“There was a story,” Hiram said, “that the older servants told. He was actually friends with your grandfather once. They were both looking into the origins of their gifts and met by accident. None of the people I know were aware that your grandfather was a king though.

“One day, Isten was looking into a disturbance that was causing a great deal of fear for many villages. They spoke of a forest spirit that would capture and kill any person who unknowingly trespassed in its territory. Fortunately, it didn’t seem anyone actually died, so Isten went to find this person and talk some sense into him.

“He searched for many days until he came to a particularly dense part of the forest. The plants seemed to watch his every move and some trees appeared to follow him. He then sensed the source of the power and realized that it was not one person, but actually a couple who could control plants. I don’t know why they were terrorizing their neighbors, but when Isten tried to reason with them, they tried to kill him. He never had to use his powers in self-defense before. They did not survive.”

“He killed them,” Elsa surmised.

Hiram nodded, his face grave. “He almost went mad because of what he did. That was when he started to change into the twisted man he is today. I say twisted but he is actually a genius when it comes to controlling his own kind and keeping them hidden. His ultimate goal is to ensure that one day wielders will naturally die off. He thinks our abilities are evil.”

“So he will stop at nothing to take me.” She had hoped that after her coronation no one would see her as a monster anymore. Now there was someone who believed she and anyone like her must be hidden away for the rest of their lives.

“I am surprised that he hasn’t tried before,” Hiram said.

“That doesn’t matter,” the captain stated. “My top priority is to ensure your safety, my queen. We can put the castle on lockdown and make sure that no one will be able to capture you.”

“Out of the question,” Elsa said firmly. _I will not_ _hide as a prisoner. Once is enough_.

“But Your Majesty - ”

“It would be useless, Captain Jokkon,” Hiram interrupted. “Please don’t take it the wrong way when I remind you that your men were no match for me when I was at my weakest. Isten and his followers would steal the queen from right underneath your noses even if you had a thousand guards with the best training in Europe.”

“I will not hide behind the walls of this castle again.” Elsa had noticed the captain’s anger at Hiram’s blunt assessment. Hiram looked between her and the captain and sat back. “Closing the castle off would only cause fear and panic among our people, as well as send a message that we do not have the strength to deal with this threat.”

Captain Jokkon sighed. “I guess that I can reschedule the patrols and make them more random so potential spies will not be able to so easily sneak past the guards.”

“Thank you. I’m sure that you want to oversee the questioning of the prisoner so I will not keep you. And thank you for your input Hiram.” Both men stood. The captain bowed while Hiram nodded his head like he always did, as if he thought they were the same rank. From what he told her about his relationship with her grandparents, they probably were.

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

Beams of sunlight shot into Hiram’s eyes, rousing him from his slumber. Rubbing his face, he sat up on his bed, surveying the room. Shako and Nadine were sleeping peacefully and he was glad to see that they were improving so quickly from their illness.

On the dresser next to his bed lay the pendant. It lay next to a narrow strip of cloth he would sometimes use to cover his eyes. He always used one when fighting or using his powers in a significant way. Isten trained him long ago to focus solely on using his enhanced hearing instead of sight when facing his enemies. By the time Hiram and his people escaped it had gotten to the point where he was more away of his surroundings with it on than just relying on eyesight alone.

He went into an adjacent room to change into a fresh pair of pants and a shirt. After seeing that there was still some time before breakfast, he opened a chest that held the fabrics he requested a week ago. He gathered fabric and a small box and walked over to his bed and laid them out. He opened the box, took a needle and some thread and set to work.

By the time the children woke up, he had completed most of his jacket and had begun setting aside what he needed to make his boots. After helping them pick out their attire, the three left their bedroom and walked to the dining room. They found that the queen was already there with Kai and the ice harvester, Kristoff. The table was already set and food was being brought in.

“Good morning, Queen Elsa,” Hiram greeted.

“Good morning, Hiram,” Elsa said. “This is not a formal breakfast so please, no titles.”

“Okay then, I - ”

“Oh, my, wow!” Olaf cried, rushing in through the kitchen door. “You’re up, this is great!” he grabbed the children’s hands. “Can you make a swimming pool? I bet you can make the greatest swimming pool…” his voice faded as he led them out to play.

Hiram looked at Elsa with mock frustration. “I hope this is not going to be a thing - me trying to get them to eat when they should.”

Kristoff laughed. “I bet we all had those moments when we were little.”

“Yeah,” Elsa said, “but you didn’t have powers to entertain yourself with. Anna and I used to play through breakfast a lot, which resulted in us wearing ourselves out before lunch because we didn’t eat much.”

That reminded Hiram of something, “Elsa, do you remember yesterday when you watched Nadine practice creating ice and hearing the tinkling sounds that came with it?”

“Yes.” Elsa said. Hiram could see her curious expression.

“Could you create some above this table and make the snowflakes grow and shrink?”

“Okay,” Elsa lifted her hands and snowflakes formed above them. She brought her creation to the table and caused the snowflakes to rise until it was half way up to the ceiling. Hiram heard the soft tinkle of ice forming and dissipating and felt his heart begin to race in anticipation.

“Do any of you - Oh,” he said hearing the princess walk in, “Princess Anna, good. I was about to show everyone something.”

“Oh,” Princess Anna mumbled, “please don’t call me princess, especially so early in the morning.”

“It’s nine twenty-seven,” Kristoff and Elsa deadpanned.

“There, you see?” Anna said as if that proved her point.

“Not sure,” Kristoff said. “Well, I guess you’re not awake enough to check out an experiment we’re about to do with Elsa and Hiram’s powers.”

That woke her up and she saw the collection of ice crystals suspended in the air. “What kind of experiment?”

“Hiram just wants to show us something,” Elsa said. “And we’ll talk about you staying up to watch the night sky later.”

“Fine, so what are you doing?”

“Do you remember when Nadine was using her copy of Elsa’s powers to make ice in the kitchen yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Anna said. “It was very good for someone who had little practice.”

“Yes it was. Did you hear any sounds from the ice itself?”

“I think so. Whenever Elsa uses her powers it always makes beautiful sound but the kitchen was too loud to hear anything.”

“True. I am going to enhance the sound Elsa’s ice makes as it forms. Listen.” Hiram held up his hand toward the ice floating above them sent a wave of his power into the swirling mass and smiled as the air came alive.

“Wow,” Kristoff said.

“It sounds like a hundred wind chimes but more…,” Anna trailed off, trying to find the right words, “…beautiful.”

“This is what I feel every time I use my powers,” Elsa said. “Now I know what it sounds like.”

“Everything creates sound,” Hiram explained. “You hear some of it in the earth whenever the ground shakes, but in reality it is far more intricate. The oceans you already know, but try imagining hundreds of waves, currents, and streams working together in a harmonious symphony. You already know what wind and fire sound like.”

Elsa waved her hands and ice disappeared along with its music. With the display over, everyone found they were famished and spent the next ten minutes focusing on nothing but the food on their plates. Then Elsa brought Anna and Kristoff up to date on the meeting she and Captain Jokkon had with Hiram. Anna was saddened by the need to be more secretive around the castle staff, but accepted its necessity in order to find any more spies.

“I am concerned that Isten has not attempted to make contact or attack us yet,” Hiram said.

“Shouldn’t that be a good thing?” Anna asked.

“Maybe,” Hiram admitted. “But I feel that he has been using this time to position his people before moving against us.”

“Why hasn’t he already attacked?” Kristoff asked.

“For one, my people and I have been evading him since I was sixteen. I am also rather immune to his mind powers. He could also be exercising caution if he thinks I gained an ally in Arendelle, which gives him another target. Also, you have told me that several influential countries are on friendly terms with you and that any open attack would cast a negative light on him.”

The sound of commotion caught Hiram’s attention. He gazed out the window and listened. Nadine just froze a great deal of water and Olaf was sounding distorted. “I need to check on the children,” he ran out. Scraping chairs told him that the sisters and Kristoff were following him.

When he reached the courtyard, Hiram found Shako, Nadine, and a miserable Sven, soaking wet and staring at a blob of snow and ice shuffling around excitedly.

“That was so cool!” Olaf said happily. “Can you make me a little taller too?”

Shako was about to answer when he caught sight of Hiram. Hiram couldn’t help but stare at Olaf’s change wordlessly. Nadine caught sight of him as well as of the royals. Her light blue eyes widened in panic.

“I’m so sorry, Queen Elsa,” she hurriedly apologized.

“You see Olaf wanted - ” Shako attempted to say but Nadine cut him off.

“I tried to practice more with the ice an - ”

“He kind of melt - ”

“I made a new flurry - ”

“More like a mini snowstorm - ”

“And…”

“And…”

Hiram broke out of his stupor when he heard the sound of giggling behind him. He whipped around to see Anna trying to hide her laughter but on the brink of failing. Elsa was also trying to hide her smile behind her hand but her whole face gave her mirth away. He turned back to the children and felt pity when he saw their crestfallen faces.

“It’s alright,” Hiram reassured them. “Calm down and dry everything off, Shako.” Shako took a deep breath and Hiram saw the watery mess evaporate into thin air, though more slowly than what he knew Shako was capable of. “Are you two hungry?” They nodded.

“Don’t worry about Olaf,” Elsa said to the children. “Go ahead and have breakfast. I’ll fix him.” She waved her hands and white tendrils of snow swirled around Olaf, restoring him to his original form with his flurry.

“Good as new!” Olaf exclaimed. “Thanks, Elsa.”

“You’re welcome, little guy.”

Hiram led the children back inside. “You are not skipping breakfast ever again.”

“Yes, Hiram.”

* * *

“After escaping from Isten’s control,” Hiram said, continuing his story, “we spent the next year on the run. Quick thinking fueled by desperation helped us evade him. We became quite good at it, managing to stay invisible to the wider world and rescue some of our own whenever Isten found them. We weren’t able to save everyone. Some who were captured early on are still missing.”

Elsa and all who were present for Hiram’s tales the day before were gathered once again that evening. Kristoff however, was meeting with a messenger from the ice harvester families and would join them soon. One of the things Elsa noticed was that Hiram was dressed in attire different than what he wore in the morning. He now looked similar to the version she and Anna saw when they accidently entered his mind with Grand Pabbie. The only difference was that this ‘uniform’ was simpler compared to the formal attire. _Probably this one’s more suited for travel_ , she thought.

“After a year, some of us began to have second thoughts about our decision to rebel against Isten. Matej was the most vocal of the faction. He regretted losing his position as one of Isten’s lieutenants. What I didn’t know was that he had been secretly communicating with our former master for some time, planning to turn us over to him in exchange for his reinstatement.” Hiram looked down for a moment. Elsa could almost feel the sorrow coming from him. “He and the others who followed him ensured that we would be scattered and vulnerable. When Isten made his move, he successfully recaptured almost half of us, including Tor and Shako.”

“How many?” Elsa asked

“Around thirty.”

“There are sixty of you?” Anna asked.

“Actually more since some children have been born over the years,” Hiram said. “Some of the people we helped decided to join us as well, so counting them and those who are still prisoners of Isten, we now number seventy-nine. Over the next several months, we were able to free seven of them before the children and I were frozen. Twelve are still missing.”

“What happened-” Elsa was interrupted by a knock on the door. Kristoff came in and sat down without greeting anyone except nodding at Elsa and Anna. He appeared concerned about something, but Elsa decided to ask him about it later. Hiram gave him a nod in greeting, then waited for her to finish her question. Elsa just shook her head.

“We were still reeling from our loss when we received word from one of our scouts that Isten kidnapped another wielder. She was identified when they came to her home and found out that she was copying their powers.”

“That would be Nadine, wouldn’t it?” Anna asked.

“Yes it was,” Hiram said. “She was around four years old when Isten stole her from her family. Like Shako, most of my people, your grandparents and I, we never discovered who her real family was.

“We managed to sneak her out, but because of the chaotic nature of her abilities and that she had virtually no control over them, we couldn’t leave the country.”

“But her powers are so cool,” Olaf protested.

“Yes they are, Olaf,” Hiram said with a smile. “But understand that before Nadine met other wielders, she and her family never knew she had powers because there was no one for her to copy. We had to spend a great deal of time helping her, but teaching a four year old self-control as a bunch of strangers was very difficult.” Olaf nodded in understanding.

“Isten was desperate to retrieve the three wielders who had escaped his grasp. He knew that we weren’t very far away and went to the local lord to enlist his help. Unfortunately, the lord didn’t know the damage Isten could do and wrote him off as a lunatic and had him arrested. Isten apparently played along with this and told him that if he didn’t cooperate a famine would come upon his land.”

“He can do that?” Anna asked. Elsa wondered if the other two wielders Isten controlled had something to do with it.

“Not directly,” Hiram explained. “Harriet can control the wind and Matej is a master of fire. They started by gradually raising the temperature and changing wind patterns so that no rain could reach the lord’s people. After almost two months, food and water started to run out and the lord was becoming desperate. He released Isten, who agreed to stop the famine in return for the lord’s assistance. They gathered up all the able bodied men left and began a search of the land.”

“We were starting to make progress in helping Nadine, thanks in large part to Shako, when they found us. Isten immediately ordered Matej and Harriet to attack. During the battle, the terrified lord and his people fled, but not before Isten warned him against telling anyone what he saw and manipulated the memories of his subjects. We managed to escape Isten, but the land was virtually destroyed.”

Kristoff leaned forward. “How did Matej and Harriet change the environment of this lord’s land?”

“I wasn’t there so I have only the stories of the locals to give and they may have embellished it for the sake of the dramatic.” Hiram paused a moment. “Some noticed that wind currents began to shift over a period of three days until it was blowing in the opposite direction. Such a phenomenon was highly irregular, but when you take into account the sharp rise in temperature it became alarming. This was just weeks before cold weather was to set in, so any change could kill plant and animal life that were hibernating and would use up stored energy.” He stopped suddenly and gave Kristoff a long look.

Elsa also noticed that Kristoff seemed very disturbed by what Hiram was saying. It was like he suspected something was wrong and listening to Hiram was confirming his fears. Then she realized that something deep inside didn’t feel right.

“What is it, Kristoff?” Anna asked.

Elsa closed her eyes and reached out with her powers to the world outside. Her eyes opened in alarm when she discovered that the air currents surrounding the castle didn’t flow as they normally would. Hiram stood and walked to one of the windows. He opened it and leaned out. After a few seconds he turned back to Elsa and the others.

“That might be them,” Hiram said. He looked at Kristoff. “What happened?”

“Almost just like you said,” Kristoff explained. “The messenger I talked with today said that some of the elders noticed that the winds and temperature were changing in ways that were not natural. They said _their_ elders have never seen anything like it. It wasn’t severe, but I was told that it had been increasing for at least two days when he left.”

“I will need to see a record of weather patterns in Arendell,” Hiram stepped on the sill and leaned out. “Tor, how long did it take for the weather to get really bad back then?”

Tor tapped his chin. “Probably about two weeks.”

“We have some time then,” Hiram said, returning to his chair.

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

“Finding and rescuing Nadine was the last major event we experienced before ending up in the cave,” Hiram said, continuing his story. Anna saw him cast a quick glance toward the window. “Even though there were setbacks and kidnappings, we managed to do well for ourselves and even settled a few families into permanent homes in countries where they could be safe. Two families are in Corona actually. We also have spies and scouts constantly on the lookout for information regarding other wielders and Isten’s plans.”

“Why do you have spies in so many countries?” Kai asked.

“It’s for the same reasons that Isten maintains an extensive intelligence network. If an individual is found that possesses powers or any other kind of ability, we try to find and hide him or her first before Isten gets to them.” Hiram cast a glance at Elsa. “If the nation we have people in is ruled by a kind lord or king, then we use whatever knowledge we have to keep them safe from Isten should the need ever arise. If they are not, we wait for a time when we can use our skills to help others escape the ruler’s tyranny.”

“Is that everything except for the vaults?” Elsa asked.

“I think so, Queen Elsa.” Hiram stood again and walked to the window.

“Finally,” Anna said. “Now we can learn more about that cursed thing.”

“Well, Princess Anna,” Tor said when Hiram didn’t answer after a few seconds, “you will be glad to know that their history is rather straightforward.” He asked a guard to bring the destroyed ice vault in. While they waited, Anna looked at Hiram, who seemed to be trying to determine Isten’s plans just by looking out the window.

The vault was placed on the table for all to see. Anna saw that it held Elsa’s focus as if it reminded her of the power it once possessed. Her sister seemed to snap out of it when Tor started talking again.

“Vaults are what we call objects that contain a portion of their creator’s power. They can range in size from a child’s toy to a suit of armor. The most powerful could generate a twentieth of the wielder’s abilities. Isten believed that your ancestors created hundreds of these devices to augment or enhance their abilities. Most were, thankfully, destroyed when they started isolating themselves from the world. Isten was able to locate one or two that survived however, and eventually learned how to make his own.”

“Elsa,” Anna said excitedly. “That means you can make some and give them to the guards. Isten won’t stand a chance!”

“Sorry, Princess Anna,” Hiram said turning back from the window. “It would take almost a year of constant work to make one and even then a wielder has to be experienced at it. I’m afraid that Isten had his two protégées study the art of vault making as soon as he was confident they had the power to make their own.”

“I hoped I would never have to come across another vault again,” Elsa said sadly. “It felt unnatural, like a skilled copy of a living plant. No matter how great the artist, a person can still tell it’s not real.”

“And we fear that Isten may have found more since losing the ice vault three years ago,” Hiram added.

“A person like that is not trustworthy,” Captain Jokkon said in disgust. “He will lie and make false promises to keep you doing as he says, my queen.”

“That’s not true, actually,” Hiram said. Anna was curious that Hiram would defend that man’s integrity. “He has never gone back on any promise he made. Even though it has become twisted, his sense of honor is still strong. That makes him even more dangerous.” He looked at her. “That’s all we know, Queen Elsa. I understand that it was probably not as thorough as you would have liked, but at least it sheds some light on your family’s past.” Anna saw that Hiram was right. Elsa seemed to relax slightly, as if a burden had lifted from her shoulders.

“I am glad that we are all on the same page now,” Elsa said, standing up to signify the end of the meeting. “We’ll talk more about the weather disturbances in the morning. Goodnight everyone.”

Anna hoped that her gut was wrong and that Kristoff’s news was nothing more serious than a mountain storm.


	10. Mind Lord: Part 4

Hiram floated in front of them for a long time, almost not believing what he was seeing. The intense wind and blistering heat told him that he was indeed looking at two vaults. Harriet and Matej had succeeded in learning the old art of vault making. Their creations floated about a hundred feet in the air, spilling out their power with increasing intensity.

He had been awakened that night when his powers felt the source of the weather phenomenon dramatically increase in strength. He considered waking Elsa but decided against it since it could be a diversion from Isten. Better to have someone stay behind in case something went wrong.

He didn’t have to search for long to find the vaults. It had been a simple matter of listening for anything out of the ordinary and following it. Now that he was here, deep in the mountains close to Arendell’s borders, he had a hard task ahead of him. The last time he destroyed a vault, he and the children were frozen for almost three years. But he was weaker then and suffering from the effects of prolonged exposure to the cold. Now at his full strength, he could contain the explosive effects without losing control. He hoped.

Floating first to Matej’s fire vault, Hiram got a better look at what form it took. He almost laughed at the simple iron cube glowing in swirling yellow and red light. _Matej always did like simplicity_ , he thought, wishing again that their friendship hadn’t ended in betrayal. He held out his hands and summoned a field that quickly engulfed the vault. Once he was certain that the power was contained, Hiram caused the field to vibrate. He increased the intensity until he began having trouble maintaining it.

For a long while he strove. Finally, the fire vault shattered into hundreds of burning iron fragments. It took a great deal of power to keep them from escaping his barrier. The fire quickly died and Hiram let himself relax. Fatigue quickly overcame him and he allowed himself to fall to the ground, thankful that neither Matej nor Harriet had showed up to challenge him yet. He used up a little more energy than he should have, but he was glad that he could properly dispose of the fire vault. After an hour of resting, he felt ready to take care of the wind vault.

Harriet had chosen a stone in the shape of a diamond to be the carrier of her power. As before, he coated the vault with an intense field of pressure and sent shockwaves powerful enough to shatter the wind vault.

His powers tingled as if something foul entered their awareness.

“What?”

Distracted, Hiram lost hold of the wind vault’s destructive blast. He was thrown back against a large oak tree, shattering its trunk and sending it crashing to the ground. Leaves wrinkled by the heat of the fire vault swirled around him as wind currents buffeted the area.

“Well,” he mumbled, glad for the protective barrier his powers provided, “that could have gone better.” Before he could relax, he heard something give off a sound like a tiny wind chime. It was barely discernable even to someone of his ability, but he spent years listening to the soft vibrations his metal staff gave off to know its frequency anywhere. It was still in the cave where Elsa found them.

Then the sound of fire and wind returned, this time magnified tenfold. Hiram berated himself for loosing focus on the castle. Matej and Harriet were in Arendelle. With sudden clarity, he saw Isten’s true plan. He wanted to draw Hiram away from the castle and weaken him so that he couldn’t fight back as Isten went for the queen and children.

Summoning the staff from the cave, Hiram gathered his power around him and shot off into the air. Before helping Queen Elsa however, he would have to make a quick stop first.

He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out his blindfold. Once it covered his eyes, his hearing seemed to increase twofold and the world around him lost all distraction as his sight went black.

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

Elsa could not find peace in her dreams. She saw her grandparents as they were in the painting, trying to escape a shadow that consumed everything around them. Then the shadow disappeared, leaving them older and with no memories of who or what they were and living in a small room reserved for servants.

The simple door opened, revealing a much younger Hiram, only a year or so older than she was when she accidently hurt Anna while playing in the throne room. His eyes were red and he looked scared. Her grandparents gazed at him for a moment and then knelt down holding out their arms. Without hesitation, the boy ran to them, shedding fresh tears as he went. Elsa felt a small pang of jealousy when she saw them, but it quickly died as she remembered what they had gone through before they met.

Elsa didn’t hear what they said, nor did she see their faces as they huddled together, giving what comfort they could in their captivity. Then Hiram looked at her and no matter how hard she tried she could not tear her gaze away from his eyes. The intense blue was dulled, shrouded in grey.

“Queen Elsa.”

“What?” Elsa looked for her grandmother and saw that she was standing next to her.

“Wake up!” Her grandmother said, but it sounded like Nadine.

“Let me try some water,” Hiram said but Elsa was surprised to see that he had been replaced by Shako. He lifted his hand, forming a small ball of water and splashing it on her face.

The shock chased away the last fragments of the dream and Elsa opened her eyes to find Shako and Nadine standing next to her bed. She was about to ask them why they were in her room, but was interrupted by a thud coming from outside her room. Her door was open and in the dim candlelight she could make out the form of one of her guards collapsed on the floor.

Elsa threw off her bedsheets and rushed to the man’s side. She placed her fingers on his neck and was relieved to find a pulse. Looking back at the children, Elsa saw fear and uncertainty on their faces.

“What happened?” she asked them.

“I don’t know,” Nadine said. “I had a nightmare and woke up Shako for a glass of water. We didn’t have a cup in our room so we left to ask someone if they could get us one.”

“We found a guard passed out outside our door,” Shako explained. “At the end of the hall was a servant who looked like she was sleepwalking. We went to ask her what was wrong, but then she passed out, too.”

“We went to see Anna, but she wouldn’t wake up either,” Nadine continued. “Then we - ”

“Anna!” Elsa exclaimed and rushed out into the hall, careful to not trip over the guard, and next door to her sister’s room. To her relief, Anna was fast asleep on her bed. “Wake up, Anna,” she said, shaking her shoulders.

Anna didn’t move. She didn’t even mumble like she always did whenever someone tried to wake her. She just snored softly, oblivious to what was happening around her. Outside, Shako and Nadine stood watching her. Realizing that others could be in danger, Elsa rushed passed them into the hall.

“What about Mr. Kai?” Nadine asked as she and Shako followed.

“Where’s Hiram?” Elsa asked instead.

“He wasn’t in our room when we woke up,” Shako answered. He looked at Nadine expectantly.

“I think he went after something in the mountains,” Nadine said, sighing.

Elsa felt anger rising like a sudden wave crashing over the coast. Hiram was supposed to wait for them to discuss it! Instead he left the castle without consulting her!

“Let’s just go find Kai,” Elsa said, trying to keep her growing ire bottled up. “He should still be in the council chamber.”

They rushed upstairs and upon entering the council chamber found the loyal servant slumped over on the long table.

“What could have done this?” Elsa wondered aloud as the children walked over to Kai.

“Hold it right there!”

Elsa gave a small cry of alarm and turned to face the intruders, her ice powers flashing. Two guards had entered with swords drawn, but stopped short when they recognized their queen.

“Apologies, Your Majesty,” the one on the left said as they bowed. “We thought you were the intruder.”

“Intruder?” Elsa asked.

“Yes my queen,” the other guard confirmed. “Whoever he gets close to passes out. He is like a shadow. We wouldn’t have realized he was here if it hadn’t been for the captain.”

“Where is the captain?” Elsa hoped that he was alright.

“Unconscious. Even the guards on the walls are out, too.”

“Then we are probably the last ones still awake.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I want you,” Elsa said pointing to the guard who spoke first, “to stay with the children while we search the castle for the intruder.”

“At once,” the guards said in unison.

Elsa turned to Shako and Nadine. “Stay here with – what are you doing?” The children had turned Kai’s head so he was facing Elsa and the guards and Shako was reaching for something on his face.

“He’s looking for something,” Nadine said.

Before Elsa could tell him to stop, Shako pried one of Kai’s eyes open. Elsa was about to tell them to leave the poor man alone when they both gasped and stepped back in fear. Alarmed, Elsa walked up to Kai to see for herself and was shocked to find that his eyes were completely coated in a grey film.

Her mind raced. This was the same stuff she found on the children’s eyes after rescuing them in the cave. If it was on Kai, it was probably affecting everyone else in the castle, including her sister.

“Who’s doing this?” Elsa asked, turning to the frightened children.

She heard the sound of bodies falling heavily to the floor and turned to see the two guards had also joined their comrades in slumber. Behind them, a man dressed in dark grey clothes walked in. He was older man, perhaps in his mid to late fifties or early sixties, but it was difficult to tell in the dim candlelight. His hair was also a dark shade of grey.

Even though she couldn’t see it, Elsa could feel the power emanating from him. However, instead of it coming off in waves like she often felt from Hiram, this power was like a pressure in the back of her mind, threatening to break in and search out her deepest thoughts and fears. It scared her. She could tell Nadine felt the same from the tone of her answer.

“Isten, the Mind Lord.”

* * *

“Ah,” Isten, or the Mind Lord, said looking at Nadine, “it has been a while little one.” It seemed to Elsa that he was also speaking in her mind. She stepped in front of the children.

“Why are you here? Why have you attacked my people like this?”

“Your people?” a sudden pain erupted in Elsa’s head, causing her to flinch. “Hiram, Tor, their rabble, these children, are all rightfully under my authority. As are you.”

Elsa shot a blast of ice at Isten, hoping to bind him so they could escape. Isten seemed to have expected this and raised his left hand like a shield. She was shocked to see a glowing field of blue energy spread around him, blocking the ice blast.

“A sound vault,” Isten explained. “Very useful for countering the more blunt aspects of other wielders’ abilities. Hiram’s powers have so many uses, like yours.”

Elsa looked back at the children to tell them to run, but the words never made it past her lips when she saw their eyes covered in gray and their faces blank and emotionless, like puppets waiting for someone to give them purpose. Dread filled her - Isten had taken control of their minds!

Their expressions seemed to fade in and out of her focus, and Elsa wondered if this was an aspect of Isten’s abilities that Hiram never told her about. Then she realized that it wasn’t just them who were out of focus, but Kai and the room were as well. Isten was trying to take control of her! With great effort, she tried to push back against the power invading her mind and was relieved to feel it receding.

But then it took on a different form, and instead of trying to shut her mind down it began to enclose it. Elsa found her awareness pushed back and became like a spectator looking out a window at the world, unable to interact with it. She fought back as hard as she could and was able to regain some control. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to get rid of all of Isten’s influence.

“Very impressive,” Isten’s voice was distant as if it was coming out of a fog. “You better at fighting against my power than most. It is interesting that Hiram can do the same. Have a seat.”

Though Elsa was determined not to bow to this man’s demands, Isten’s hold over her mind was strong enough that she found herself sitting in one of the chairs at the table. He walked up to the chair where she normally presided over her meetings, but instead of sitting down he simply rested an arm on it. Then she felt a change inside her. Her powers dissipated, she could no longer feel the warm air outside the castle or the ice coursing through her veins. She realized that though Isten had allowed her to regain control of her body, he had kept her from using her abilities.

“There,” Isten said, “now we can talk like civilized people.”

Elsa was in no mood for showing civility to someone who had so little regarded for others. “What do you want?”

“Hasn’t Hiram told you enough to guess?” Isten asked. She could feel him sorting through some of her memories. “I want control. Control over all of our kind. For too long we have had no checks on our power. Untold numbers of people through the ages have suffered for our irresponsibility. No one but me has stepped up to take the lead in protecting this world from us. For years I have hidden our kind from those we have harmed, keeping them isolated until they faded into obscurity.”

He stared at her for a moment and Elsa could feel him delving into her mind, looking for something. He sighed in disappointment. “Hiram was to be my successor.” Elsa was surprised. Hiram was too different from this man for her to even picture him as one who would enslave others. “Unfortunately, your grandparents - yes I know who they were, I always did. Your family has a reputation for hiding. Your grandparents hid their relationship with Hiram from me and your parents hid you from the world.”

“Why would you choose Hiram?” Elsa asked. She hoped to stall him long enough for help to arrive. Unfortunately, Isten read her intentions in a second.

“You’re not stalling me child. I have one more thing to discuss with you.” He sat down in her chair. “What I was looking for in your mind was your potential to one day become my successor, just like I intended for Hiram. Mental control, the harshest of winter elements, shockwaves - these have a certain fear factor that is greater than the other abilities wielders possess. Unfortunately, no mental conditioning will ensure that you are a reliable candidate after I am gone, so that takes care of the issue.”

Elsa tried to say something, but he held up his hand to stop her. “Whether or not you agree to abide by my conditions is irrelevant. You are to turn the throne of Arendelle over to your sister effective immediately. You will then be allowed a moment to say goodbye to her,” he glanced at the door. Elsa followed his gaze and saw Anna standing there, the grey coating visible in her eyes. “I will allow you a moment to say goodbye.” The grey disappeared from Anna’s eyes and she immediately rushed into Elsa’s waiting arms.

“You are not going!” she sobbed into Elsa’s shoulder.

“He’s not giving us much of a choice,” Elsa whispered. “No matter what happens, I will never stop trying to come back.”

“Won’t do any good, Elsa,” Isten said.

“That’s _Queen_ Elsa to you!” Anna said angrily.

“Not anymore.”

Silent through the whole conversation, Shako and Nadine now walked to Isten’s side and stared at Elsa and Anna without any sign of recognition. Elsa felt Isten strengthening his hold over her mind again and sent one last glance to Anna before she lost control. She heard Anna yelling at Isten as he led them out of the council chamber and into the castle halls. She saw the guards stirring and wondered if Isten’s control over them was fading.

“They aren’t fading Elsa,” Isten said. “More people are becoming aware of my presence so my powers are being stretched thin.”

They rounded a corner and came face to face with a livid Anna, pajamas, ruffled hair and all, and three very angry guards. Isten looked surprised, but quickly hid it and just smiled at Elsa’s rescuers. “The love you have for your sister would make quite the tale.”

“You forgot about the back pass - ,” Anna started to say before she was cut off by a low hum.

“I haven’t spent decades controlling our kind to be surprised by your soldiers’ primitive weapons,” Isten said with contempt as he lifted the arm that held the sound vault and shot a wave of energy at Anna, throwing her and the guards back.

Desperate, Elsa tried calling on her powers again and after feeling them respond a little, shot the most powerful blast she could conjure. Isten was ready, however, and blocked her attack with the sound vault. Elsa tried to block him, but he broke through her meager defense and sent her crashing into the wall. Before she blacked out she saw more guards rush in and place themselves protectively around her. As her consciousness faded, she heard him one last time.

“Since I can’t take you, I will take your sister,” he said with anger. “When you are ready to submit yourself to my authority, she will be allowed to come back.”

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

In the stillness of the Valley of the Living Rock, Grand Pabbie recoiled when he felt Isten’s powers. Unfortunately, Arendelle was too far away for Grand Pabbie to help. By the time he got there, the battle would be long over.

The other trolls gathered and watched as he gazed in the direction of the castle. He had told them of his adventures with the queen and princess and of meeting Hiram. They knew that if the Mind Lord and his two servants found them, they would have a difficult time fighting them off.

Suddenly, a low rumble reached the valley. The little trolls scampered behind their parents in fear and the adults looked around for the source of the disturbance. Grand Pabbie just smiled. With Hiram arriving, maybe he would be able to provide some assistance after all.


	11. Mind Lord: Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight Fight Fight!  
> Fanfiction, it knows what I want.
> 
> Sorry, couldn't resist. The action has finally heated up with all the talking out of the way. Enjoy!

* * *

“…we shouldn’t move her,” Kristoff’s voice came to Elsa’s ears softly. “We don’t know what Isten did.”

“We can’t leave the queen like this,” Gerda protested.

“As soon as we can figure out how she is doing, we can move her.”

“Look! She’s stirring.”

Elsa slowly blinked her eyes open and saw Kristoff, Kai, and Gerda looking down at her worriedly. Behind them, Captain Jokkon was giving orders to several guards. When he heard Gerda, he turned around and Elsa could see some of the stress lift from his face.

“How are you doing, Elsa?” Kristoff asked.

Elsa paused and took stock of herself. To her surprise, her head only felt a tiny bit sore, like she just bumped it on the table. “Not bad, actually,” she motioned for Kristoff and Gerda to help her up. “How long was I out?”

“About half an hour, Your Majesty,” Kai said.

“Did you manage to get Anna back?”

“No.” She could hear the anger and disappointment in Kristoff’s voice. “By the time the rest of us were awake enough to help, they were already out of the castle and making their way to the ships.”

“Ships?” Ela asked. Instead of answering, Kristoff led her to a window overlooking the fjord. In the distance, she saw two massive warships rapidly sailing away, despite the lack of wind. Even though it was still night, the light from the moon allowed her to see that they each had at least three decks of cannons.

Elsa ran outside to the walls, with Kristoff and Captain Jokkon close behind. She reached the wall in time to see a flash of light from one of the warships. It flared up for a second before dimming into a bright yellow glow. To her surprise, it floated off the ship and towards Arendelle. As it got closer, she saw that it was a person engulfed in fire. Its glow revealed another person floating next to it. They reached the middle of the fjord and stopped.

“Give me a spyglass,” Elsa ordered, and was thankful that the captain usually kept one on his person. She extended it and gasped.

“What is it?” Kristoff asked. Instead of answering she handed him the spyglass. Kristoff looked through it. “How is he not dead? He’s covered in flames!” He handed the spyglass to Captain Jokkon.

“That must be Matej,” Elsa explained as the captain’s mouth fell open, “and the woman next to him would probably be Harriet, the wielder of wind.” The captain handed the spyglass back to Elsa and she looked again at the person who Hiram said was once his friend. She could only make out a faint outline of him through the flames that coated his body. How she wished she could just go out there and fight them. Unfortunately, whatever Isten did kept her powers locked away in some part of her mind.

“You can take them out, right Elsa?” Kristoff asked.

“Isten blocked my powers, Kristoff. I don’t know how long - ” the shouting of a guard interrupted her. He ran up to her and produced a letter as he bowed.

“This was left by the intruder, Your Majesty,” he said.

Elsa took it and read out loud, “‘To Queen Elsa of Arendelle, otherwise known as the Snow Queen. For irresponsibly using your abilities and putting your kingdom at risk almost two years ago during your coronation, you are hereby declared unfit to rule. You have three days to set your affairs in order before I return with your sister. You will then bid your family farewell and will travel with me to my fortress and never to return to society again. The consequences of refusal will be felt by your people through famine and drought.’ Signed The Mind Lord.”

Elsa looked at Kristoff and the captain before staring at the letter again. Ice started creeping up the paper, covering the words in a white coating. Elsa knew that it would be a good idea to leave the letter intact, but anger at Isten’s actions, the loss of her sister again, and the helplessness she felt fueled her powers enough that they began to break through Isten’s fog.

She narrowed her eyes and crushed the letter. As the pieces fell to the ground despair came over her. How could she fight wielders like this? Since Isten controlled her now, perhaps giving in after all would be the wise decision. That way she would know that Anna was not a prisoner and her people would be left alone. She would also be able to stay with the children and help them not be so lonely. But she knew that Anna would not accept her decision and would do all she could to get her back. If she succeeded in finding any information about where Elsa was taken, Anna would stop at nothing - would even risk her own life, as she had in the past - until she found her again.

“Your Majesty?” Captain Jokkon asked.

_What do I do?_ Elsa silently wondered. _How can I fight this? Should I fight? It would only endanger Arendelle. Would doing as he says protect them?_

“Hey, Elsa!” Olaf’s voice startled her out of her thoughts. He waddled up the stairs followed by a round, dark shape. “Look who came for a visit!”

“Grand Pabbie?” Elsa asked in wonder.

“Just in the nick of time, I hope,” the old troll said in greeting.

“Grand Pabbie!” Kristoff said. “But how did - ?”

“Hiram dropped me off at the edge of the village then went back for something to aid in the fight,” Grand Pabbie explained.

“What was it?” Elsa asked.

“He just said it was a gift from his father.”

“How long ago was that?”

“About twenty minutes.” He gestured for Elsa to kneel.

“He took Anna, Grand Pabbie,” Elsa said softly.

Grand Pabbie gave a low hum that had an edge to it and gently touched his hand to Elsa’s forehead. Immediately, Isten’s influence was erased. Elsa could think clearly again and felt her powers flowing through her veins. She could feel the air currents, the snow on the mountains, and the powers surrounding Matej and Harriet. Grand Pabbie withdrew his touch and smiled.

‘I will protect them, and by the grace of God they will never come to harm.’ Her grandfather’s words came unbidden to her mind. _Protect them_ , Elsa repeated. _Fight to protect them_.

The air came alive as his energy flowed around them, enhancing their hearing. Hiram was close. Over the fjord, she could see the two wielders gesturing to each other and was surprised that she could hear them talking, but she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.

“Dissonance!” one of them shouted.

Elsa followed the shout and saw that it came from Matej. “Who’s Dissonance?” she asked.

“That is what they call Hiram,” Grand Pabbie said. Elsa watched Harriet as she held out her hand towards Matej, palm up. Matej copied the gesture but held his hand palm down over hers. Elsa immediately felt the winds shift around the wielders.

“They’re creating a vortex!” Kristoff said in awe and fear.

He was right! The vortex was completely devoid of any dust and debris that allowed people to see their typical shapes. Even though she couldn’t see how large it was, she knew that this one was very strong.

“How big is it?” Captain Jokkon asked.

Elsa thought for a moment. “Look at the moonlight reflecting off the water.”

They all watched as the chaotic ripples directly underneath the wielders expanded and grew to fill half of the fjord. The vortex stopped expanding and the fire on Matej exploded outward, filling the swirling vortex. Everyone watched in trepidation at the firestorm before them roaring like an inferno. But that fear soon turned into terror as a shape separated from it. It had large wings and a long neck and was the size of a house.

“Should have guessed they had their own creations,” Elsa mumbled.

“Look!” Kristoff shouted. Smaller shapes of fire and wind shot out of the vortex like cannon fire. They flew toward the docks and took on the shape of hulking suits of armor as soon as they landed. Shouts and screams could be heard from the townspeople who had gathered to watch the spectacle.

“Captain!” Elsa shouted. “Get your men down there and keep those things away from the citizens!” The dragon made a dive at the castle, but Elsa shot a beam of ice at its chest. The creature roared in frustration and broke off its attack, flying back to the vortex as another dragon appeared.

“What about you?” The captain asked.

“Go!” Elsa ordered and shot a beam of ice beneath her. It quickly solidified and turned into a pillar that lifted her above the roof of her castle, her ice dress forming as she rose.

“ _Can you freeze the fjord?”_ Hiram’s voice asked. Elsa looked around herself for a moment, expecting him to be floating next her.

“Where are you?” she called out.

“ _I’m almost there. If you freeze the fjord it will allow us to draw those monsters away from Arendelle.”_

Elsa shot a beam at the water and the fjord instantly froze over.

Matej and Harriet appeared out of their vortex and Elsa could see the shocked looks on their faces as the flames and wind spun around them. The first dragon reappeared and the two beasts made another attempt at the castle. As Elsa watched the two creatures come at her, she saw the wielders fly away as the vortex dissolved.

One dragon flew past her, blowing a stream of fire as it went. Elsa pulled up an ice shield just in time and countered the other dragon’s direct blast with a frigid gust of her own. The dragon hovered in front of her spewing more fire, which Elsa matched. She took a deep breath and willed her ice winds to their strongest. The cold broke through the creature’s barrage and pierced its flaming body with shards of ice. It screamed and then disappeared into nothingness.

She turned around just in time to see the other dragon fly at her again. She held her hands together in front of her and built up another ice beam and was about to launch it when a bright blue flash caught her attention.

She had never seen Hiram’s powers directly. Before, they always appeared as a soft cushion that lifted chairs or filled rooms with beautiful music. When they fought, he only sent his power through her ice to strike at her or shatter her battering rams. Now, his power took on the form a massive knife-like wedge that cut through the air as it hurtled toward the charging dragon.

The dragon looked up, but was unable to avoid the deadly arc screaming toward it. It caught the beast and sliced the head from the neck. The decapitated head let out a roar as it fell to the icy fjord. It and the rest of the body hit the ice with a sizzle and were extinguished. Elsa looked up and saw Hiram floating just a few yards away. He was holding a short metal staff and wearing some kind of blindfold.

“What happened?” he asked, looking at her with an urgent expression.

“Isten was here,” Elsa said. “He took Anna, the children, and Tor. He said that if I don’t surrender myself to him he will not let Arendelle have any peace.”

“By the looks of things, you said no.”

“Well, yes.”

“I’m going after him.” Hiram made to leave.

“Wait!” Elsa called, Hiram stopped. “There are still scores of fire monsters here. You can’t leave while they are attacking those people.”

Hiram looked at the chaos unfolding in Arendelle then back at the queen. Elsa could see the battle of priorities on his face despite the blindfold. He came to a decision and floated to her side, holding out a hand. “No, I can’t. I’ll take us there.”

Elsa reached to take his hand and almost stopped at the sight of ice forming on her knuckles. As soon as they touched, she found herself flying with Hiram to the battle below, the ice on her skin forgotten.

* * *

Kristoff saw, rather than felt, the fiery hand slam into his stomach. He flew backward and hit something soft and cold.

“Oh, look at that,” Olaf said, his voice muffled. “I’ve been crushed.”

“Olaf what – ow,” Kristoff clutched his stomach as pain flared up. Moaning, he rolled off Olaf and saw that the snowman’s feet had escaped the impact and were frantically running around in circles. Two guards chased after the feet, catching them after nearly running into each other, and reassembled the snowman.

“Thanks guys!” They nodded and ran toward the creature who hit Kristoff.

Kristoff looked at the castle and saw Elsa fending off two giant fire dragons. He pushed himself to his knees, glad that Elsa wouldn’t have to fight this enemy alone. His heart clenched when he thought of Anna as a prisoner of a madman. Hiram better hurry up and get here.

Sven snorted behind him. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to be useful?” Kristoff said in his reindeer voice.

“Alright, buddy.” Kristoff stood up and leaned backwards to stretch his stiff torso, ignoring the pain. When he straightened again, some of the soreness faded. Fortunately, the blow felt more like being hit by a strong gust of wind than an actual fist. The two guards lost their advantage of numbers when another fire soldier - Kristoff wasn’t sure what to call these things - arrived. He leapt onto Sven’s back and looked down at Olaf, who had just finished putting himself back together. “C’mon, Olaf!”

“Right!” The little snowman hopped on behind him and Sven charged. One of the guards was on the ground groping for his sword as a fire soldier advanced. It didn’t see the charging reindeer until the antlers dug into its broad chest. The soldier was large and powerful but it didn’t have the mass or momentum of a full grown animal like Sven, who didn’t stop until he smashed it against a house. The fire soldier didn’t make a sound as it rapidly disintegrated.

A flash of light and a sound like thunder drew Kristoff’s attention again to the castle. He could see only one dragon and assumed Elsa took care of the other one. A wave of light suddenly sliced through the last dragon, cutting it in two. It disappeared behind the walls. Kristoff shook his head and turned back to the fight at hand.

The two guards were barely holding themselves against the fire soldier who, after seeing the fate of its comrade, doubled its assault. It ducked and lunged as it used a flaming sword to block the guards’ strikes. Sven tried charging it as well, but its flames pulsed outward, causing the brave reindeer to veer away. Kristoff and Olaf jumped off and, after making sure that Sven’s coat did not suffer any singeing, grabbed whatever they could find to help the guards.

“Hey!” Olaf yelled. The fire soldier looked down in surprise. Olaf had taken off his left hand and was using it to deliver blows to his opponent’s legs. Unfortunately, it just went through the flaming tissue and caught on fire. Olaf gasped and shoved the burning end into his stomach. Kristoff grabbed him before he could be crushed by a fire foot.

“Not a good idea, Olaf!” he said as he helped put the arm back where it belonged.

“I guess - ” Olaf started, but he was cut off by a thundering BOOM! and the sound of rapidly growing ice could be heard. Kristoff saw the fire soldier impaled by a spike of ice. It was struggling to free itself, but Kristoff could see that it was over. A small explosion erupted from its chest, sending flaming fragments every which way. A few fell on Kristoff’s shirt, but he batted them away before they could do any damage.

A cold hand grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the fighting. He saw Hiram, now with some kind of blindfold on, engage three large, ape-like fire creatures and destroy them with a few swift strokes from a short metal staff. He spun his staff and turned just as two others lunged for him at great speed, throwing them out of Kristoff’s view.

“Where’s Captain Jokkon?” Elsa asked, turning Kristoff to face her. Kristoff looked at her eyes and was relieved to see their normal icy-blue irises.

“We got separated when we reached the village,” he said. “Last I saw, he was headed toward the docks.”

“Look out!” someone, probably a child, screamed. A lithe fire creature had climbed to the roof of the house they were next to and jumped toward them. Before Kristoff could react, Elsa stretched out her hand and shot ice at the ground. It quickly formed a large statue of an arm. Elsa reached to grab the fire creature and Kristoff watched, amazed, as the statue mirrored her actions. It snatched their assailant out of the air and crushed it. Kristoff opened his mouth to say something but the roar of a dozen fire soldiers cut him off.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Hopefully Hiram luring them away from Arendelle and onto the fjord,” Elsa answered, thawing her sculpture and running to the docks with Kristoff not far behind. The streets were cluttered with baskets and burnt carts. Smoldering homes lined the roads, silent and empty. They passed frightened people fleeing the other way, some with singed clothing. Thankfully, none of them appeared injured.

They reached the docks just in time to see Hiram shoot out of the village with more than twenty fire soldiers right behind him. Kristoff saw that the glow hadn’t left the city and realized not all of them took Hiram’s bait. “There are still more of them in the village, Elsa!”

Without a word, she turned and ran back. Kristoff, left alone and with nothing to do but watch Hiram destroy the flame soldiers one by one, let his thoughts wander to Anna. Was she alright? Did Isten still have her under his influence? Is she locked up in a dark cell waiting for them to question her? He couldn’t think of hopeful answers to any of those questions. The thought of her in bondage made his blood boil.

An ice path materialized close by and he saw Elsa propel herself onto the fjord with the rest of the fire soldiers not far behind. As she neared Hiram, she turned to face her pursuers head-on. Kristoff’s jaw went slack as hundreds of spikes shot up from the frozen fjord and impaled the flaming soldiers. They gave off startled cries before disappearing into nothingness. She reached Hiram just as he finished off the last of his opponents.

Kristoff broke out of his stupor and ran toward them. A shout made him pause and he turned to see Captain Jokkon coming up. Together they approached Elsa, who seemed to be in a heated discussion with Hiram.

“It would be better if I went alone,” Hiram was explaining. “The more people who go with me, the less chance there is of rescuing them.”

“We’re rescuing them?” Kristoff asked.

“Yes,” Elsa said, glaring at Hiram. “ _We_ are.”

“I’m going, too.”

“No!” Elsa and Hiram said at the same time.

“I have to be fast,” Hiram said. “Every second we delay gives them time to disappear.”

“Then stop arguing with the queen and do as she commands.” Captain Jokkon said. Hiram turned to him anger evident on his face. _Wrong thing to say_ , Kristoff thought.

“She is _your_ queen, Captain,” Hiram said, his voice lowering, “not mine.”

“Nevertheless,” Elsa pointed out, “as my guest, you are required to show consideration for my commands.”

“This is a command, then?”

“It is.”

“I already showed all the consideration it deserves.” He held up his hand when the captain tried to argue. “Coming with me puts you all in great danger. I have considerable resistance to Isten’s powers and know how best to fight Harriet and Matej, but you don’t. You coming will jeopardize not only your safety, but your sister’s and my peoples’.”

“And yet you can’t do this by yourself.”

Hiram face saddened slightly. “I’ve fought worse.” Kristoff saw sorrow and loneliness there. How often had he felt the same before he met the sisters? Sure he had the trolls and Sven, but there were times when he had really wished for human friends. Still, he wasn’t about to stay behind when Anna needed her family and friends the most.

“I’m still going,” Kristoff said.

“You’re not going to keep us out of this, Hiram,” Elsa said.

Hiram was quiet for a moment. Finally he nodded. “Fine. We will need a boat. An ice boat will be easier to repair if it gets damaged. Once that is done you can thaw the fjord, Queen Elsa.”

“We’re coming too!” Olaf shouted as he rode up on Sven’s back. Hiram turned his head to Elsa. She nodded.

Elsa held her hands out and frost and snow swirled around the center of the fjord. A ship began to materialize. It wasn’t large, only big enough to be a simple merchant vessel, but it was enough to carry everyone with room to spare.

“No sails,” Hiram said. “I will get us there.” Elsa nodded and the mast disappeared.

Everyone climbed aboard. Elsa made sure that no one was left on the fjord. When she was satisfied it was empty, she simply held up a hand and the fjord returned to normal. Hiram floated to the front of the ship and placed his hands on its icy exterior. The ice began to vibrate and give off a gentle blue glow.

“I’m going to start it off slow, but we will speed up very quickly so I suggest everyone find something to hold on to,” Hiram advised. He caused the blue glow to intensify and the ship gave a small shudder as it began to move.

It gradually picked up speed. Kristoff felt the wind whipping around his face. He looked back and was surprised to see that they already left the fjord and were over the open sea. He shielded his eyes, looked down, and almost cried out in alarm. There was barely any wake from their vessel. It was floating on Hiram’s powers and still picking up speed.

“We’re coming, Anna,” she said softly as Isten’s ships appeared on the horizon.


	12. Mind Lord: Part 6

Anna tried to see what was going on through the small opening of their cell. Even though they had been locked up for less than an hour, she was starting feel boxed in. She wanted to see the ocean and sky. After a few seconds of watching the foamy waves, her knees gave out from under her. She fell to the wooden floor breathing heavily.

When Isten, or the Mind Lord as he called himself, first entered her mind, she fought him with every ounce of strength she had, but it was not enough. He led her through a hazy journey to her sister’s council chamber and then through the town to his warships. Once they had reached her cell, he released his hold over her mind. She tried to attack him but his guards shoved her in.

There, she found Tor, Shako, and Nadine. Tor seemed just as aware as she was, but the children were barely conscious. Tor said Isten was keeping them from using their powers to escape. Anna, tired, did her best to straighten up her hair before she tried to get a look outside.

“You need to stop, Princess Anna,” Tor said.

“I can’t,” Anna replied. “We have to find a way out of here.”

“Any rescue for us will come from outside help. We don’t have the ability to free ourselves.”

Anna looked at him, incredulous. “You’re giving up?”

“No, just saving my strength for when the opportunity presents itself.”

Anna stopped. Perhaps it was best for them to rest and wait until someone came for them. But how long would that be? She remembered waking up in her room to find an old man standing over her bed. Before she could call for the guards, a grey mist had obscured her vision. She had tried to hit him but her arms would not obey.

Then she had heard his voice in her head even though his mouth never moved. He had told her his name was Isten but she was to call him the Mind Lord. _“Don’t try to fight me child,”_ his voice had grated in her head. _“You will only wear yourself out and I don’t think you want to be carried by one of these.”_ An image had appeared in her mind of a creature in the form of a knight made of fire. _“You have an important part to play in my plans today.”_ Grey fog consumed her thoughts and the next thing she knew she was in the council chamber crying in her sister’s arms.

She rallied the guards to rescue Elsa but wound up under Isten’s power again. Anna pulled herself to her feet and stood on her toes to look outside their cell. She was able to see the front of the other warship. Since her sister’s coronation, Anna had schooled herself more vigorously so she could be of greater help to Elsa. One of the subjects she had often researched had been ships and shipbuilding. From their size and armament, these two vessels could only be owned by the more wealthy and powerful nations. So how did Isten get not one, but two of them?

Her thoughts went back to Hiram’s stories. He had said that the Mind Lord had influence in most of the countries of Europe. Perhaps that also included access to the shipyards that built these two warships. If that was the case, which nations were under his thumb? England? Corona? Spain? Arendelle? She knew that Elsa would do whatever she could to protect her. But at what cost? Anna didn’t want Elsa to sacrifice herself to free her.

The last rocky peaks of Arendelle disappeared from beyond the waves. Anna could feel the ship change direction and sank to the floor of their prison to wait for whatever end Isten had in store for them.

“Hiram,” Nadine whispered. Anna knelt and helped the girl sit against the wall.

“What?” Anna asked.

“Nadine,” Tor said as he walked over. He knelt and took her face in his hands, looking in her still-mist-covered eyes. “What about him?”

“Coming,” she whispered.

“Hiram’s coming here?” Anna asked.

Tor nodded.

“Now?”

Another nod.

“And Queen Elsa,” Nadine added.

“This is going to heat up pretty quickly,” Tor said, walking to the viewport. “Yep, here they come.”

He moved aside for Anna to get a look. Coming toward them at an impossible speed was an ice ship. It was covered by a field of blue light. _Hiram_ , she thought, _that means Elsa gave him a good talking to_.

The other warship broke off and turned toward their rescuers. Instead of cannon fire, Anna saw concentrated streams of fire coming from its armament. There was a flash and Anna saw Hiram’s power stream out and concentrate until it became like a shield protecting the ice ship.

The blue glow suddenly disappeared and Anna recognized Elsa’s frigid winds take its place to propel the ice ship. A blue streak shot away and headed to the warship. Anna wondered what possessed Hiram to take such a desperate action, but realized that instead of firing at him, the fire creatures manning the warship were getting as far away from the railing as possible. From her prison, Anna saw Isten’s two wielders take off to lend aid to the targeted ship, but she could see that they were too late.

Hiram dodged a few panicked blasts of fire and shot straight for the warship’s center. Anna saw him blast through the hull. A split second later, a deafening boom almost sent her falling backward, but she managed to hold on viewport’s ledge. An explosion erupted from the center of the warship, splitting it in two. The front half came to a stop and tilted to the side as it filled with water. The back half partially rose out of the water, traveled for a second or two more, then fell back down, capsizing.

It took her a few seconds to realize that her mouth was hanging open in shock. _That’s what Hiram can do?_ Anna thought incredulously. She never really gave much thought to what kind of destructive capabilities he possessed.

With her sister’s ship being propelled by arctic wind only, Anna could see that they had slowed down considerably and were barely maintaining the distance to the warship where they were imprisoned. Hiram raced back to the others just in time to help them fend off attacks from Matej and Harriet. That slowed them down even more and the distance between the prisoners and the rescuers increased.

“What’s happening?” Shako asked, causing Anna to turn toward him. She was relieved to see that the effects of the Mind Lord’s power had worn off and his hazel eyes once again clear.

“Shako, how did you break free of Isten?” Anna asked.

“Grand Pabbie is here,” Nadine said, her clear eyes meeting Anna’s.

“Isten’s wielders are attacking Elsa and Hiram to give Isten a chance to escape,” Anna said. They heard the sound of shouting coming from outside their cell. Anna was afraid that Isten would have them moved to a different part of the ship.

“They’re coming,” Tor said worriedly. “We need to find a way to slow this ship down.”

Anna had an idea. “Shako.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think you can make the water flow against the ship?”

“That’s a good idea,” Tor said approvingly.

“I think so,” Shako said. “My powers are a little shaky though.”

“Any little bit will help,” Anna said. The cell door burst open and a large flame soldier burst in followed by two human guards. Anna yelled in surprise but was cut off when a stream of ice struck the flame soldier in the chest. It let out a surprised yelp and stumbled backward. The two human guards quickly left so as to not touch its burning body.

“Hurry!” Tor yelled, running to the door and pressing up against it. “Nadine, seal us in, but not the window!” Anna joined him and felt the temperature in the cell drop. Ice crawled up the walls and soon reached the doors.

“Can we stop now?” Anna asked, grunting from the force she was applying to the door.

“Hold on,” Tor said, “Nadine’s almost finished.” A few seconds passed. “I think it’ll hold now for how.” Anna relaxed.

“I didn’t know pushing a door would be so much work,” she said.

“It can be tiring,” Tor smiled. He turned to Shako. “Are you ready?”

Shako nodded. “I’ve got a better grip on my powers now.” He held out his hands palms down. Anna only got a small demonstration shortly after he first woke up at the castle and now watched, fascinated, at the abilities the young boy possessed. Several thin tendrils of water extended a few inches from his hands. He almost stumbled as the ship jerked.

“It’s working,” Tor said, walking to the viewport and looking out. “They’re getting closer.”

They heard a crash from the other side of their cell door. Nadine gave a small scream and scrambled backwards into Anna. She wrapped her arms around the child and watched as the ice shuddered from the blows.

Suddenly a hand covered in fire broke through the floor, ripping away wood and reaching toward Shako. Tor left his place by the window and broke a shard of ice protruding from the walls. He then charged to the large flaming hand and stabbed it. The hand quickly pulled back, almost taking the shard with it.

“Coat the floors, Nadine,” Tor ordered. Nadine, still in Anna’s embrace, lifted a hand and the caused ice to form first on the hole and then spread to cover the rest of the floor. Then she reinforced the ice covering the door, sealing cracks and creating pillars to brace it. The temperature dropped even more and Anna saw her own breath in the cold air.

Tor returned to the viewport. “They’re almost here!” he cried. Anna released Nadine and moved to the viewport. Tor stepped aside and what she saw took her breath away. Dozens of fire monsters zipped around her sister’s small ship, launching streams of fire as they went. Some landed and fought with the defenders. Anna was shocked to make out the forms of Kristoff and Sven taking turns attacking and blocking as they protected Grand Pabbie, who seemed to be deep in thought.

Anna almost laughed at how Captain Jokkon and Olaf worked together. The little snowman waddled as quickly as he could, distracting flame soldiers and even striking a few blows himself with a short ice stick. Jokkon took advantage of the confusion Olaf caused by hacking at arms, torsos, or whatever he could find.

But as impressive as they were, her gaze was quickly drawn to the battle surrounding Elsa and Hiram. Her eyes widened and she could feel her jaw going slack again as she watched them move together in a complex and deadly dance as they fended off flame soldiers and the two wielders. Elsa successfully froze one of the creations but Anna saw it immediately thawing. Hiram was there a split second later shattering it with his staff before throwing the staff at Matej, who was about to land a blow on Elsa, who in turn shot an intense wave of frigid air at Harriet before the wind wielder could smash a piece of the wrecked battleship’s hull into Hiram. Matej was thrown back and Harriet lost control of her improvised weapon, buying Hiram and Elsa enough time to destroy a score of their opponents’ creations before engaging them again.

Anna was so engrossed in watching the struggle outside that she almost forgot about the one they were still facing in their cell. She felt something crash into her, sending her falling painfully to the ground. She felt it roll off her and pull her to her feet.

“Tor!” Anna said once she saw who it was. “What are you doing!?”

Tor just pointed to the scorched viewport and then at the cell door. Most of the ice had disappeared and she realized that the temperature had returned to normal and was now rising. Nadine was panting but kept firing more and more ice at the creatures trying to break in. Anna could hear Isten shouting angrily from the other side of the door. Her heart quickened in fear. If he could get them, then this whole rescue attempt would have been for nothing.

“Get back,” Tor said, pulling Anna and Nadine toward Shako.

“What! Why?” Anna asked. Weren’t they supposed to stay away from the people trying to get them?

“Hiram’s going to blow a hole so we can get out,” Tor said, pointing at the wall separating them the outside world.

A loud bang took away any chance Anna had of responding. Tor threw everyone to the ground just as the wall exploded, showering them with splinters and wood fragments. When the rain of debris stopped, Anna looked up to see the entire part of the cell that made up of the ship’s hull was gone.

Tor dragged them up and they ran to the edge. Elsa had created an ice slide leading from the cell to her ice ship. Anna hesitated but Tor quickly helped Shako and Nadine down and pulled Anna after him as he jumped. When Anna reached the ship, she looked back at the cell and saw a burst of fire. Elsa thawed the slide and Hiram backed the ship away and turned it toward home.

As they retreated, Anna saw Hiram and Elsa staring at Isten, who stood at the gaping hole. She felt rather than guessed the rage and frustration coming from the Mind Lord but also the determination and love from her sister and Hiram as well as a gentle presence coming from Grand Pabbie.

Isten turned and retreated back inside his ship with his wielders and their creations. Elsa and Hiram looked at Anna and the other prisoners for a second. Then Anna found herself tightly wrapped in Elsa’s arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hiram take some kind of cloth from his eyes and gather the children and Tor in his arms.

 _I knew they could do it_ , she thought before focusing on giving her sister the warmest and tightest hug she could manage.

“Anna, can’t breathe,” her sister gasped.

“Neither can I,” Anna squeaked.

They just squeezed tighter.

* * *

Tired, bruised but safe, Hiram steered what was left of Elsa’s ice ship into Arendelle’s fjord. Horns started blowing and people began to gather on the docks in anticipation of their arrival. As they sailed in, he heard cheers erupt and let a small smile show.

He felt the ship bump gently against the dock and made sure his powers held it there for the passengers to disembark. Queen Elsa and Princess Anna were first to get off and were greeted joyously by their people. Kristoff, Sven, the captain, and Olaf received similar treatment. Hiram, Tor, the children, and Grand Pabbie got off last.

Once Elsa saw her ship was empty, she waved her hand and it disappeared. Hiram could see the relieved expression on her face as she walked arm in arm with her sister toward the village. Hiram and his little party hung back, politely receiving thanks and congratulations from the citizens, until the procession in front of them turned a corner and was out of sight. Hiram breathed a sigh of relief and led the way to the castle. They took a more direct route so that they would arrive before the crowd.

“Do you want me to take you back to the valley now, Grand Pabbie?” Hiram asked as they walked.

“Please,” Grand Pabbie said. “I am weary after facing one as powerful as Mind Lord.”

“After we get the children back to bed - yes you are going back to bed,” Hiram said, seeing the shocked expressions on Shako’s and Nadine’s faces.

“But the sun’s coming up,” Shako protested.

“And we are already awake,” Nadine added.

“You are also not fully recovered from your cold,” Hiram pointed out. “You can come back out at noon.” He paused, hearing their stomachs growl. “And I will have a servant bring up a little snack to hold off hunger until then. Small snacks.”

“Yes, Hiram,” they said together, taking his hands in theirs as they continued on.

They entered the castle quietly and, once the children were settled, Hiram and Grand Pabbie left Tor to take care of them and headed out to the courtyard. They could hear the crowd approaching.

“I think some of the townsfolk are already going back to their homes,” Hiram said.

“That means there will be fewer people with curious questions about what I am,” Grand Pabbie agreed.

“But if we leave now there will be none.” Hiram looked at Grand Pabbie. While his help in the fight was invaluable, Hiram felt uneasy that Grand Pabbie’s people were now on Isten’s list of adversaries. “Your people will be in danger now because you helped us.”

“There are still very few who know of our location,” Grand Pabbie reassured him. “We can look after ourselves my boy, no need to worry.”

“Of that I have no doubt.”

Grand Pabbie climbed carefully onto Hiram’s back. Once he was certain the troll chief had a firm grip, Hiram gently lifted into the air and flew away. He was tired, but it was of a good kind. They managed to free the children, Tor and Princess Anna from Isten and his wielders without losing anybody. They also struck a blow that would take the Mind Lord a long time to recover from.

But there was also the matter of the queen. Hiram knew that he had some apologies to make and that they would have to talk about how work together to fight Isten and protect their people.

\---<]=--{}--=[>\---

Elsa didn’t let go of Anna until after she was certain her sister was unharmed and back in her room sleeping. When she was confident Anna wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, she went looking for Hiram. It didn’t escape her notice that he had disappeared along with Grand Pabbie and the children soon after they returned. She found the children and Tor in Hiram’s room making up for lost sleep, but no Hiram, so she went to Kai and asked if he had seen Hiram and Grand Pabbie recently.

“Actually, Your Majesty,” he said, “I saw him fly away with Grand Pabbie shortly before you arrived with Princess Anna.”

“Thank you, Kai,” Elsa said.

Elsa sent for Captain Jokkon and gave him orders to increase security at the palace and to send riders to the borders to alert the garrisons on duty to double their patrols. “I’m going to ride to the valley to discuss our next move with Hiram and Grand Pabbie. I should be back by nightfall.”

She went down to the stables, saddled a horse, and was soon out of the village and riding into the forest. Within an hour she arrived at the borders of the Valley of the Living Rock.

When Elsa reached the steam vents, she secured her horse so it wouldn’t run away and continued on foot. When she arrived at the clearing, she found everyone gathered around Hiram and Grand Pabbie. She jumped when something tapped her hand, but relaxed when she saw Bulda.

“You know you shouldn’t be shy about joining us, dear,” she said. Elsa allowed Grand Pabbie’s daughter to lead her toward the gathered trolls, who were listening wide-eyed as Grand Pabbie told how she and Hiram fought off two powerful wielders together.

“Then Hiram blew a hole in the side of their warship and Queen Elsa created an ice slide for Anna and her friends to escape. When they were safely aboard our boat, Hiram turned us around and brought us home.”

The little trolls cheered and tackled Hiram in a large group hug. “Ah! Okay!” he cried out. “Thank-mmf.” He managed to untangle himself from the small mountain of children. “I wasn’t _that_ heroic.”

“I don’t know,” Elsa said speaking up, “Grand Pabbie tends to stick to what really happened in his stories. Unlike some people…”

“Got that right!” Cliff said. “The way Kristoff tells stories you’d think everyone died at least three times from fighting off wolves while being burned alive.” The trolls roared with laughter.

“He’s not that extreme,” Elsa objected, giggling. Kristoff did like to embellish, but he always made it clear when he was doing it.

“The little ones love it,” Grand Pabbie said, looking between Elsa and Hiram. “It has been a long morning and I believe you two need to get some rest.”

“Once everything has been taken care of,” Elsa said.

“I have to send out messages to my people to alert them that Isten may up his efforts to attack them,” Hiram said, his brow furrowed with worry.

“Yes,” Grand Pabbie said. “You both have duties that take up your time. Be sure that you don’t let them overwhelm you.” Hiram nodded and stood up.

“Thank you Grand Pabbie,” Elsa said. “This morning would have turned out very differently if you weren’t there to help us.”

“It would have turned out differently if you two hadn’t worked together,” Grand Pabbie said bluntly.

Elsa didn’t say anything. She just nodded and, after leaving some small piles of snow for the little ones to play in, turned and left. As she walked away she heard Hiram thank Grand Pabbie as well.

“Don’t be afraid to trust them, Hiram,” Grand Pabbie said. “Arendelle can be a refuge for your people.”

“I hope to see you soon, Grand Pabbie,” Hiram said. He bowed in respect and turned to catch up with Elsa.

“Why are you walking?” Elsa asked, giving him a sideways glance.

“I am exhausted,” Hiram said. “Walking usually helps me think. Also, your horse is gone and I wouldn’t leave a person to walk a forest by themselves no matter how well they can fight.”

“What!” Elsa ran to where she tied her horse. Sure enough it was gone. She turned to Hiram annoyed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I found out it was gone a few seconds ago. It should be at the trolls’ border by now.”

“Well, I guess I do have to walk,” she sighed heavily.

Hiram raised an eyebrow. “You won’t make a snow horse?”

“Like you, I’m too tired.”

They walked silently for almost a half an hour. Hiram appeared to be deep in thought, so Elsa didn’t try to strike up a conversation. She, too, was absorbed in her own contemplations. She was both bothered and happy that the two of them somehow fell into a rhythm while fighting off a horde of fire and wind creatures as well as the wielders who made them. It was almost as if their powers acted like two people in an intricate dance. One wrong move would topple both participants, but they performed perfectly, almost subconsciously covering for each other and striking when the other was weak or when one’s power wouldn’t be as effective as the other’s.

Before they had reached the ships, she had wondered if she could trust him to do his best to make sure the rescue was successful. She had thought that he would abandon them to the enemies to try to save the captives himself, but he never hesitated to stay and help protect the rest of the rescue party and herself. And she never gave helping him a second thought. All doubts fell to the wayside when the fighting began, especially when she had been so overwhelmed by the chaos at first that Hiram had to split his focus between fighting and protecting her. From what her sister told her, Elsa knew that Anna only saw the last part of the fight. She didn’t see how Elsa had to depend on Hiram for protection until she began to find her stride.

“I didn’t know you could fight that well, Queen Elsa,” Hiram said, breaking the silence.

“I think I’m just good at improvising,” Elsa explained tiredly. “When I was attacked by the former Duke of Weselton’s assassins, I actually managed to hold them off using only shots of ice and my winter gusts. I had never used them for fighting before. Actually, I barely used them at all before my coronation.” Elsa again wished that she had never been subject to all those years of isolation and fear of what her power could do, and wondered if she would ever feel as comfortable with her abilities as Hiram was with his.

“And after, it was only for creating fun days and helping people,” she continued. Her hands were whiter than usual. The ice on her knuckles had spread over her hands and partway up her arms during the fight but disappeared when she got back home. She wandered what it meant.

“With a little practice, you could be a master at it.”

“I really don’t want to use my powers to hurt people,” Elsa said firmly. “Before I learned to control my abilities, I constantly put everyone around me in danger.”

Hiram was silent. After a moment he spoke softly, and Elsa felt the gravity behind his words. “In order to protect my people, I had to seriously hurt others. I learned long ago to never hesitate when someone threatens them.”

“What happened if you did?” Elsa asked.

“They were either kidnapped or someone used them to try to get me to cooperate.” Hiram turned his gaze to the forest. “Sometimes I would get them back, but they often disappeared. There are still many whom Isten has taken that I was never able to free again.”

“So that was why you were very persistent when you thought the children were in danger.”

“Yes. There were a few times when rulers or powerful individuals found out what the children and I were capable of and tried to use it to their advantage. I have made quite a few enemies.”

“By protecting those you love?”

Hiram looked back at her. She could see through the tired expression a deep determination, almost like a burning fire. His eyes were hard and his jaw set. “Yes. And you will, too.”

Elsa was taken back at first, but realized he was right. A man like Isten would stop at nothing until she was under his control.

“That actually brings me to something I wanted to ask you,” Hiram said.

“What is it?”

“How much longer are you willing to let us stay?”

“For as long as-”

“I mean beyond that.”

“I haven’t really planned that far ahead,” Elsa admitted.

“Neither have I. What do you think?”

“Where would you go?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I…” Elsa trailed off. Hiram had shown her that he was serious about leading and protecting his people. Whatever problems he faced would be his own to handle. But deep down, Elsa knew it wasn’t right to let him leave. From what he told them of his early life and what could have happened to his people during the three years he and the children were frozen, they could be facing a crisis.

But the same could also be said for Arendelle. It almost lost both its queen and then its princess, despite being protected by an ice wielder. If it weren’t for Hiram, they would have been overwhelmed. They would stand a better chance facing Isten together instead of alone.

But did she trust him?

Elsa stopped, unsure. She trusted him as they fought side by side. She trusted him enough to let him lead the rescue even with the disagreements they had.

“Elsa?” Hiram stood looking at her. His voice and stance, once determined and lofty like a king’s, now had a vulnerability to it that she hadn’t heard before.

“Yes?” Elsa said uncertainly.

“Do you trust me?”

“Uh…” Elsa was caught off guard. Did she really trust him? She thought for a moment and realized that deep down she did. After fighting together to save the ones they loved and now here walking through the forest, Elsa did not feel like Hiram would try to do anything that would hurt her or anyone in Arendelle. She did trust him. With her life. “Do you trust me?” She asked instead.

“I’ve been asking myself that question ever since we got back,” he said. “I have met very few people like you, Elsa. Kings and queens through the ages have often abused their positions. But you… Elsa, you look beyond the fancy titles and powers of your position to see what you really are. Their protector.” He gave a tired smile and an invisible weight seemed to lift from his shoulders. “I trust you with my life, Elsa. I trust you with _their_ lives.”

“And I trust you,” Elsa said. “I think you should make Arendelle your home. Until we have dealt with Isten, I can recognize you as a king who sought refuge in Arendelle.”

“I don’t like being called a king,” Hiram muttered.

“You won’t be able to get as much help if you just say you are a leader of a small band of dispossessed people.”

“I know,” Hiram sighed. “Okay. We’ll try it that way.”

“Great!”

“When we get back we will need to go over several things including…”

* * *

The servant watched as the once mighty warship sailed into the harbor, broken and defeated. He ordered the nearby workers to get to their places to catch the mooring lines. His master was the first off the warship once the ramp was lowered. He was followed by Matej and Harriet, both looking sullen and disappointed.

“Come,” the servant’s master said curtly. Without hesitation the servant followed, always ready to carry out his master’s commands.

They walked the short distance from the docks to the fortress. It was nestled in an inlet that was exceptionally well hidden from prying eyes. Despite the secretive nature of the location, it was large enough to allow a massive complex to be constructed. The servant never paid attention to its dimensions. It took too much concentration - concentration that was needed for fulfilling his duties.

They entered the master’s office. Matej and Harriet walked to one side of the room and the master sat down at his desk. The servant simply stood near the door, waiting for his assignment.

“Hiram is in league with the queen of Arendelle,” the master thought out loud. “This complicates matters.”

“He could easily expose us to the world,” Matej said.

“We already would have been, but you’re right,” the master said. “Hiram could use those events to twist international opinion in his favor, and with Arendelle on his side they have access to several influential royals.” He sighed. “Once again it all comes back to Arendelle. I should have known that more meddlers would have come from that tiny nation.”

He looked at the servant. “Send out messages to the hunters. They are to use every means at their disposal to capture the rebel servants. We will bring them and the new queen back under our rightful authority.”

The servant left the office, feeling something he never remembered experiencing in his life. Doubt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That concludes the Mind Lord story arc. Tune in next time for the start of Ruler!


	13. Ruler: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a break in the updates we're back with Ruler, the final arc of this story! Enjoy!

After weeks of waiting the day finally came. Shako and Nadine made sure they got to the docks early in case the ship arrived ahead of schedule. The late morning sun cast a gentle light over the water as the wind softly caressed their faces.

He didn’t show it, but he was just as eager to see the new arrivals as the children were. Even though it had been a short time for him, three years had passed for his people. He knew they faced many hardships without him. Fortunately, they weathered it well and persevered despite the Mind Lord’s efforts to recapture them.

But now he was gathering the Derelict together once again. Despite the risk, his intuition told him it would ultimately be for the better. This family had lived in Corona for five years and both parents had positions that gave them regular access to the castle. They would be the first of many.

Now that he was officially a king, recognized by not only Arendelle, but also by Corona, Spain, and the Southern Isles, he needed to give his people a good place to stay until they could find a land for themselves. He suspected, though, that the Southern Isles’ eagerness to play along had more to do with them wanting to regain Queen Elsa’s favor than genuinely trying to help.

“I can’t hear anything, Hiram,” Nadine complained. Since he and Elsa confronted the Mind Lord and his wielders, Hiram had insisted that the children up their efforts to master their abilities.

Today, he assigned Nadine the task of listening for the approaching ship while Shako tried to sense it through the currents of the ocean. Whenever Nadine was excited or anxious, she would sometimes start switching between her powers without knowing it. From the pale green color of her irises, Hiram saw that she was trying to use wind.

“You’re using wind, Nadine,” Hiram said kneeling. He placed one hand on her shoulder and another one over her eyes. “Close your eyes. You too, Shako.” He leaned in closer. “Remember, the power of sound helps a bat fly in the dead of night. But your abilities are far beyond what a bat is capable of.”

Moments passed. Hiram took his hand away but told Nadine to not peek. He probed the sounds she was sifting through. “Lots of other sounds, huh?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Nadine said, frustration evident in her voice.

“I found a lobster but that’s about it,” Shako said, disappointed.

“Some of what you find can be grouped similarly, which helps if you have a lot to go through.”

“I’m trying,” Nadine looked at him worriedly. “What if they come before I can hear them?”

Hiram gave her a reassuring smile. “Then we just keep practicing, Nadine.” Nadine had a tendency to worry if her skills weren’t progressing as quickly as she thought they should.

Hiram sensed the ship coming closer. Any minute now Shako and Nadine would pick up on –

“They’re here!” Shako and Nadine announced at the same time. Sure enough, the ship rounded the entrance of the fjord, kicking up ocean spray as it sailed in.

Almost before he knew what was happening, Shako and Nadine grabbed Hiram’s arms in excitement and pulled him closer to the edge of the dock. They lost their balance and tumbled over the edge toward the water below. Thinking quickly, Hiram created an air cushion beneath them stopping their fall.

“Are you going to get us back up?” Shako asked.

“I’m debating whether to take us to the ship or just drop you two into the fjord,” Hiram said.

“Take us to the ship!” Nadine said, widening her now-white eyes and giving him a pleading look.

Hiram looked at Shako, who was doing the same. He sighed. “Oh, alright.”

“Yay – Ahh!” Hiram cut the children off by sending them all hurtling toward the ship and their friends on board.

* * *

“Harder!” Hiram yelled above the gale.

Elsa took a deep breath and willed the frigid winds to greater strength. Air whipped around her face, sending strands of hair in her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw ice creeping up the trunk of a nearby tree, creating eerily beautiful patterns of snowflakes. All around her, the forest bent and groaned under the onslaught of her powers.

The object of her attack, an impenetrable wall of energy created by Hiram, bent and shimmered but remained strong. For weeks Hiram, Elsa and the children maintained a strict training regimen for the fight he was sure would come soon. Even though her ability to control the wind was not as strong as Harriet’s, Hiram encouraged Elsa to work at developing it further.

He also worked tirelessly to gather as much information as possible on the Mind Lord. Elsa had been shocked at how much influence Isten held in Europe. She was also surprised at the resources Hiram apparently had at his disposal. He had managed to set up a small yet effective spy network soon after he escaped Isten.

One of the first things that Hiram’s little network tackled was the smuggling problem Arendelle and Corona had been trying to solve for the past several months. With the efforts of three groups combatting the smuggling operations, they soon uncovered the full extent of the illegal activity. Elsa was disappointed, but not entirely surprised, when they discovered that not only were the former Duke of Weselton’s nephews organizing the operation, much of their funding came from the Mind Lord in exchange for information and secrets.

Arendell and Corona, along with some longtime allies, successfully pressured Weselton to finally clean up the corruption it had allowed to grow within its borders. The nephews were arrested and a piece of the Mind Lord’s influence was removed.

Over the past month, Arendelle experienced a small population boom. In the weeks following the rescue of Anna, Tor, and the children, Elsa and Hiram had made efforts to reunite his people. It took a while, but the last of the scattered families finally made it to her country a week ago.

A tingle in her fingers brought her thoughts back to the present. Elsa looked at the palm of her hand. Her skin had paled until it was almost white. She learned of this new aspect of her powers when she confronted the Mind Lord for the first time.

At first, she thought it was only a fluke, a side effect of the battle, but when she and Hiram began training together she discovered that her skin naturally formed a type of ice armor to protect her from harm. Hiram said it was probably similar to how his abilities shielded him from injury.

Hiram’s wall surged and grew in size. Deep rumbling sounds came to Elsa over the roar of her ice winds. She knew this was his way of saying he wanted her to push her abilities even harder. Thrusting her hand forward again, she reached deep within herself to the mysterious place where her powers resided, almost balking at the sheer amount of power she possessed, and sensed a reserve of ice she was still unconsciously holding back. It almost seemed like something outside of herself, like the core of her power was still blocked off by the fear she lived with most of her life.

Elsa grit her teeth. Though two years had passed since her coronation, she still found herself limiting her own abilities. _I can’t let fear get in the way of protecting my people_ , she told herself. Pushing through the final barrier, she immediately felt a new intensity to her ice. A small shiver ran down her spine. Not from feeling cold but from the sheer amount of power flowing through her veins. It seeped through her skin, causing the air temperature to fall even lower. She grinned in exhilaration as Hiram’s wall was pushed back.

“Harder!” Hiram said again.

“I already am!” Elsa shouted back in irritation. Even though her powers were reacting more strongly to her commands than ever, she was still straining.

“That’s great!” Hiram’s abilities allowed him to hear someone whispering next to a waterfall. Hearing her voice in the extremely loud winds was easy for him. “Now push harder.”

 _Can I?_ Elsa questioned.

Apparently she could. Now it felt like she was emptying her powers into Hiram’s defenses. Her breathing started to quicken and her fingers shook as her winds grew stronger and stronger. A branch was ripped from a nearby tree and flew towards Hiram with astonishing speed. She opened her mouth to shout a warning but it was too late.

Fortunately, Hiram’s barrier caught the branch and suspended it in mid-air. Now that she noticed, Elsa saw several other objects caught as well. There were a few pebbles and countless leaves as well as a few twigs and of course, the branch.

Elsa gaze travelled to her hands again and gasped at what she saw. The ice was growing on her hands and quickly making its way up her arms. As it thickened, she saw gauntlets form and plates of armor similar to what a knight would wear appear on her forearm. It reached her shoulder and Elsa felt panic seize her limbs and spoil her concentration.

The winds immediately died down and the temperature quickly returned to normal. Hiram said something but she wasn’t paying attention. She could only stare at the ice covering her hands and forearms. It almost looked like they were consuming her.

 _Will I turn myself into ice?_ Elsa wondered. _Would using my powers so much cause me to_ _freeze my own heart?_ Her breathing hitched at the idea of her own powers destroying her. She watched her ice covered hands turn from white-blue to orange tones. Spikes grew out of the cold layers, giving the ‘armor’ a sinister appearance.

Elsa took a step back as if it would put distance between herself and her powers. She started to take another one, but hands still glowing blue grabbed her white ones.

“Are you okay, Elsa?” Hiram asked, looking at her hands in concern.

“Sorry it’s just…” Elsa began but trailed off. Her gaze lingered on the orange tinted armor as she willed it to thaw. “I think it’ll take more time for me to get used to this new part of my powers.”

“You sound tired,” Hiram observed.

“You don’t sound so chipper yourself,” Elsa shot back with a small grin.

“That’s because if we don’t hurry we’ll be late for lunch,” Hiram said patting his stomach.

Elsa laughed and looked up a nearby hill to see Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and the children waiting for them. It became custom after training for them to spend an hour or so eating lunch before heading back to Arendelle. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be able to take a lot of time unwinding like they usually did. Tomorrow was the celebration for the new treaty between Arendelle and the Derelict. Several nations had already sent ambassadors, with the rest scheduled to arrive in the morning.

“Did you get the armor again, Elsa?” Anna asked as they made their way up the incline.

Elsa nodded, but didn’t elaborate.

“I wonder if I could do that,” Nadine said. Elsa caught the dreamy look in the girl’s eyes. As they’d gotten to know each other, the young wielder had started looking up to Elsa as if she was some sort of hero. While Elsa was flattered, the role of mentor was a concept she wasn’t quite sure how to handle.

“I thought you’re favorite power was sound,” Shako said.

“I still like it,” Nadine assured him. “But ice is so _cool_!”

“Lol!” Anna said, laughing at the pun.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at her.

“Say the what now?” Elsa asked.

“Lol,” Anna repeated. “It’s an acronym.”

“For what?” Kristoff asked.

Anna smiled proudly. “It stands for ‘laughing out loud’.”

“Where did you get that idea, Anna?” Elsa asked, still confused.

Anna shrugged. “I think it started when we got that weird letter about selling lumber. You remember that one?” Elsa nodded. “Well, some of the misspelled words started me thinking of what it would be like if everybody used a shorter form of writing.”

“Okay?”

“Okay could just be spelled ‘o’ ‘k’ or just ‘k’ and thanks will be like ‘t’ ‘h’ ‘x’.”

“Wow,” Olaf said impressed, missing the pleading looks Elsa and Hiram sent him. “What else did you come up with?”

“Well,” Anna said, ignoring Kristoff’s face palm. “‘Be right back’ can be ‘b’ ‘r’ ‘b’ and…” her face lit up. Elsa groaned inwardly. Normally she would love to hear what new idea her sister came up with but this was getting ridiculous. “I wonder if you could make faces with periods, commas and parenthesis to show emotion!”

“Well,” Hiram said quickly, “let’s hope that never catches on.”

“But it sounds fun,” Shako protested, creating a small frowning face with water.

“Oh boy.”

“C’mon, Anna,” Kristoff said, taking her hand. “Let’s go eat lunch.” Elsa sighed in relief as her sister was gently guided to the baskets of food.

“Do you want to have a game of chess tonight?” Hiram asked her as they followed the children.

Elsa smiled at the opportunity of doing something fun. “I think we’ll be able to make it. Shako and Nadine coming too?”

“Yeah!” they both said.

Hiram laughed as they joined the rest of their group, who were already indulging themselves with sandwiches, chocolate and lemonade. “I don’t think we could keep them away if we wanted to.”

* * *

Hiram looked at the chess board in front of him on the floor. He knew his next move would be important. The expectant faces of Shako and Nadine watching from the couch told him they recognized the gravity of the situation. On his left the fireplace bathed the library in a bright cheery light. Across from him, Elsa watched his movements intently.

“Are you going to move?” Anna asked impatiently from the small table where the chess board would normally reside. Kristoff and Tor looked from the books they were reading by the window. Hiram and Elsa made a habit of using their powers to create the chess pieces and whatever else they felt their games needed.

“Really, Anna?” Kristoff said. “You rush everyone if they take more than two minutes to do anything.”

“Not all the time,” Anna protested. “But for your information, he’s been thinking for five minutes.”

“Four minutes and seventeen seconds,” Tor corrected.

“Minor details.” Anna turned her attention back to the game.

 _Aha_ , Hiram thought. _That will be my move_. “Watch closely everyone,” he announced. “And witness genius.” Next to one of his translucent knights, Hiram sent a small portion of his power and formed a small ladder. The knight grabbed the ladder and set it next to Elsa’s miniature ice palace. It quickly climbed up and let out a small cheer when it reached the balcony.

“That’s it?” Elsa asked, eyeing the knight critically.

“Sure is,” Hiram said.

“Alright,” Elsa waved her hands. The doors leading into the castle opened and out came a tiny replica of Marshmallow. The knight drew its sword in challenge but the castle guardian was too fast. It snatched the little figure and with a mighty squeak hurled it over the side.

Shako and Nadine snickered as they watched the defeated knight plummet dramatically to the ground. They laughed out loud when it hit the chessboard with a loud splat. It sat up and shook its head then promptly fell back again with an arm over its face.

“Just like what Kristoff does when he’s tired,” Anna observed.

Kristoff set his book down and walked over. “I don’t look like that,” he said when he saw the knight.

“Not all the time,” Tor said coming up beside him. “But I have found you lounging like that more than once in the stables with Sven.”

“Shall we call it, Hiram?” Elsa asked. “I think this is another victory for me.”

“Sure,” Hiram said good naturedly. He turned to Shako and Nadine. “Remember kids. When you want to throw the game, do it in a way people never forget.”

The children composed themselves and nodded seriously. Their faces held for another few seconds then melted into laughter once again.

“I must say, Hiram,” Elsa said. “I think this is your best performance yet.”

“Thank you, Elsa,” Hiram said. “Your skills at puppeteering have greatly improved as well. I didn’t see any sliding or stiff movement today.”

“Well,” Elsa said sheepishly. “I have been practicing a lot between games.”

“Good,” Hiram said encouragingly.

A knock drew everyone’s attention to the door. It opened to reveal Kai, Olaf and a snowgie.

“Hi everyone!” Olaf greeted. “Kai has a package for Elsa and William and I wanted to watch the game.”

“Sorry, Olaf,” Elsa said, apologetically as she stood up. Hiram got up as well and sat on the couch between Shako and Nadine, wrapping his arms around their shoulders. “But we just finished.” Olaf’s face fell. “But you can stay and see what’s in the box.” Olaf’s smile immediately returned.

“Okay! But I still don’t know how to read, or spell.” The snowgie hopped onto Elsa’s shoulder and snuggled her cheek.

“Aww!” Anna exclaimed before looking at the box. “Can I open it for you Elsa?”

“Sure.” Elsa sat down next to Nadine.

Hiram watched as Anna took the package from Kai, who bowed and left. She set it on the floor and knelt to untie the wrapping. Hiram had to bite back a laugh when she pulled out a pair of thin pants made of a smooth material that looked like they would fit better on a seven year old.

Anna gave the item to Elsa, who looked it over in confusion. “What is it?”

“Let’s see what they said in the letter,” Anna said, taking out a piece of paper. “Oh! It’s from the wife of the Spanish ambassador who came to your coronation, Elsa.”

“Really?” Elsa still didn’t look like she was sure what to make of the pants.

“Yeah, it says ‘To the Queen Elsa of Arendelle.’ It has some stuff about greetings and asking about your health. ‘Your leadership is an example to rulers everywhere’ let’s see. Aha!” Anna looked at her sister. “It says here that what she sent you is called yag – yogi – is that an ‘a’?”

“Yoga pants,” Hiram said, laughing under his breath. “They’re called yoga pants.”

“What are yoga pants?” Elsa asked.

“They are made of a very elastic material that can fit several different sizes. It’s mainly used for stretching exercises that could tear regular clothing.”

“Looks uncomfortable.”

“Actually it’s not.”

Elsa gave him a questioning look. “How would you know?”

“Uhh…” Hiram trailed off. _Great, just great_.

“You’ve actually worn them?”

Hiram felt blood start to rush to his face. “Well…”

“You didn’t,” Kristoff said.

“He did,” Tor said, smiling.

“I’m gonna fire you, Tor,” Hiram said, glaring at his friend.

“No, you won’t,” Tor countered.

“And why is that?” Hiram narrowed his eyes.

“’Cause you love me.”

Hiram sighed. “A weakness of mine. Though it’s my only weakness.”

“What about me?” Shako and Nadine asked at once.

“Fine,” Hiram amended. “You’re my weaknesses too.” The snowgie jumped onto his knee and gave him a hopeful smile. “And you, William,” It gave a happy squeak and hopped off.

He heard someone approach the door and waved it open to admit a woman in her early fifties. Shako and Nadine leapt from the couch and ran into her arms. Since her arrival two weeks ago, the children had been inseparable from their adopted mother. They were shocked when they saw the effect three years had on her, but it quickly faded when they realized she had the same energy and vitality now as she did then.

“Hi, Simar,” Hiram greeted. “Is it time for them to go to sleep already?”

“Yes,” Simar answered as she hugged them back. Soon after she had arrived in Arendelle, Hiram told her the story about how Isten had kidnapped the children and how he had corned Isten in the mountain, and how by that time he was greatly weakened and unable to save them from the damaged ice vault.

She was one of the few people he could confide in. He remembered the pain in her eyes as they became moist with tears. They cried together. She told him that no matter what, she was proud of him for dedicating his life to protecting them and reassured him that she already believed he was the leader his parents raised him to be. Hiram looked away trying to hide the tears that inadvertently sprang into his eyes. Even though it had been many years now, the pain of losing them never went away.

“Where’s Grum?” Tor asked. Garvald ‘Grum’ Brent was a former enforcer of Isten’s who joined them soon after Hiram staged his rebellion. He was the one primarily responsible for teaching Hiram’s people the skills they needed to stay in the shadows wherever they went in the world and was in charge of their spy network. Along with Hiram and Tor, Grump and Simar made up the other half of the leadership of the Derelict.

“He’s in another friendly debate with Captain Jokkon,” Simar replied with a sigh. “You would think those two are brothers from the way they act around each other.”

“At least they are keeping it civil,” Elsa pointed out. She and Anna had been surprised at how well organized Hiram’s people were when the first families started to arrive. They quickly warmed up to them despite the reservations many of the new arrivals had, and soon the people of both monarchies were freely sharing information and expertise. Unfortunately, it did not keep the captain and Grum from engaging in long discussions on how they felt security and intelligence gathering should work. Despite their differences, they had developed a great deal of respect for each other.

Shako and Nadine bade everyone goodnight and left. Kristoff let out a yawn and after excusing himself, decided to turn in for the night as well. Olaf wanted to check in on the children and Tor and Anna went with him make sure that he would not keep them up too long.

Once everyone who wanted to had left, Simar pulled up a chair by the couch. Elsa gave her a smile and turned to Hiram.

“So,” she began. “Yoga pants.”

Simar snickered. Hiram gave her an offended look then turned back to Elsa. “In my defense, I was twelve.” Elsa just looked at him expectantly. Hiram sighed. “Mama and Papa had some old things that Isten let them keep. One day I found a pair of the pants and they let me try it on. I found them odd but comfortable.” He shrugged. “That’s it.”

Elsa looked a little disappointed. “That’s it?”

“Yeah.” _Please don’t ask for any more embarrassing stories, he silently pleaded_.

There was silence for a few moments. Fatigue started to weigh Hiram down. He suppressed a yawn and stood up. “I will be heading to bed as well. Hopefully there won’t be too many last minute details to iron out in the morning.”

“I doubt it,” Elsa said. “Details are stubborn things. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”


	14. Ruler: Part 2

Outside the castle walls by the fjord, a lone figure knelt in the sand. His eyes were closed as he listened to the gentle morning breezes that slowly chased the fog of sleep away and replaced it with alertness and energy. A smile grew on his face. He was almost ready.

As he left the castle earlier, a servant had offered him a cup of coffee. He normally didn’t mind the taste of the beverage, but discovered long ago that the boost of energy it provided made his powers erratic, forcing him to devote more attention to keeping them under control than normal. So he gave up the habit, but it didn’t stop him from pausing at the kitchen door to breathe in its fragrant aroma.

Hiram reached out his right hand and held it over the gently lapping waves. His power cast its blue light over the water, creating a dense field of pressure mere centimeters over its surface. Hiram stood and placed a foot on it. When it held his weight, he stepped onto it. Energy coursed through his body, filling his bones with strength and his heart with anticipation.

Taking a deep breath, Hiram leaned forward slightly and gently let it out. The field he created surged upwards and covered his body. As soon as it reached his eyes he propelled himself forward. The castle and harbor were quickly left behind. He reached the entrance of the fjord and raced out to the open water.

From a mile away he could hear the wing flaps of birds making their return migration. From deep under the surface he could hear marine life swimming and even some dolphins playing. Hiram also made out the creaking wood of some ships about to appear over the horizon. _Probably some last minute arrivals for today’s celebration_ , he thought.

Hiram turned toward the sun as it began to make its ascent to its home in the sky. He loved to watch the light from their world’s star before it became too bright to look at. Hiram felt his skin warming under its gentle glow.

He turned his gaze to the sky and decided it was time to take his morning exercise up a notch. _Though some would argue it would be more than a notch_ , he thought. He straightened his body and traded gliding over the sea to soaring in the sky. Letting out a shout of exhilaration, he increased his speed until he approached the mysterious sound barrier that he always encountered when going this fast.

Fortunately, he merely had to maneuver himself so he was traveling headfirst, increase the strength of his barrier of protection, and of course put more energy into his speed. Behind him, his powers left blue tendrils of fog in his wake, like the waves in the ocean after a ship passed through.

The invisible sound barrier bent and began to waver. Hiram’s powers took on the shape of a sharp projectile similar to the tip of a spear or arrow. _Here we go_ , Hiram thought as he put on a final burst of speed. The barrier crumbled as he shot through and then…

Silence.

It was eerie how sound behaved when someone traveled faster than it. Hiram could still make out what was going on around him, but it was much easier to tune out and sort through, like someone told the whole world to quiet down just for him. He quickly reversed direction, his powers protecting him from the tremendous forces acting on his body.

He rose above the cloud cover and caught glimpses of Arendelle through the gaps. Once he was directly above the castle, he angled his flight upward until he was travelling vertical. The land shrank as he climbed higher and higher. He left the last of the clouds behind and slowed his momentum until he was floating.

Hiram’s face tingled pleasantly as his skin soaked up the gentle morning light. Looking over the expanse of the world beneath him, Hiram felt a long-familiar urge to explore. For most of his early life, he traveled the continent with Isten, learning about the cultures of the great nations and how to exploit them to his advantage.

After his rebellion he still traveled widely, but it was to keep his people safe and hidden. If his parents were still alive they would tell him his restlessness was from a desire to find a true home. Thanks to Queen Elsa and her allies, that day looked closer than ever. Shaking his head, he let his powers fade and closed his eyes as gravity took over.

-}=---<>|<>\---={-

Elsa watched in fascination from the castle balcony as Hiram fell. She learned that flying became second nature for him years ago. For him, soaring among the clouds was a cherished activity. She squashed the small twinge of envy that suddenly entered her mind. To fly! She could only imagine how it must feel to be up there, free as the birds.

“I wish I could fly,” she whispered as she turned her gaze from Hiram.

She rested her arms on the railing and gazed at the sun as it began to rise over the cliffs of the fjord. A bright flash of blue light alerted her to Hiram’s presence. She looked up to find him slowly floating down toward her.

“Good morning,” Elsa greeted.

“Hi, Elsa,” Hiram said with a smile. “Enjoying the few moments of quiet before the tidal wave comes?”

“Why, yes I am.”

“Well,” Hiram said, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “How about we make it last a few moments longer?”

“And we would do this… how?” Elsa asked. “Kai will be here any moment and there is no way I’m letting Anna sleep in today.”

“Who says we’ll be at the castle?” Hiram held out a glowing hand.

“What are you doing?”

“You said you wanted to fly,” Hiram explained. “So let’s fly.”

Elsa tilted her head slightly. “Have you been listening in on me again?”

Hiram shrugged. “You know that it’s difficult for me to block all sound except for what a normal person can hear. I can’t do it all the time.”

“Okay,” Elsa reached to take his hand. “What do I do?”

“Don’t scream,” Hiram said flatly.

Before Elsa could even think of sarcastic response, she felt a strange tingling sensation run through her, sending shivers down her spine. She looked at Hiram who smiled. Then she felt her feet leave the ground and almost shot out a panicked blast of ice as she and Hiram left the castle and Arendelle for the clouds.

Clouds!

Elsa never thought they could feel so soft! Tiny droplets of water tickled her face and hands. It was like walking, or in her case, flying through dense morning fog before the sun erased its memory from the earth. They broke through the clouds and shot into the open sky, the wind drying the moisture.

“Wow,” Elsa breathed as she watched the sun bathe the clouds in its light.

“It is,” Hiram said.

“How often do you come up here?”

“Not often enough,” Hiram said, shaking his head sadly.

“Oh.”

“You know,” Hiram said thoughtfully. “You might be able to fly yourself since some aspects of your powers are similar to Harriet’s.”

The sudden loss of Hiram’s powers holding her up caused her to frantically grip Hiram’s arm with both hands. But any harsh comment she had died on her lips when her feet hit something solid. She looked down and saw that they were standing on a floating platform made of Hiram’s powers suspended in the air, like glass defying gravity.

“Sorry,” Hiram apologized.

“How are we standing on this?” Elsa asked, kneeling to feel surface. It felt impossibly smooth, like glass, but somehow there was enough friction so she wouldn’t slip.

Hiram shrugged. “It’s the same principle that governs my other abilities. We are technically standing on air so dense that it can even hold up a small building.”

“That’s amazing,” Elsa said in wonder.

“So is making a castle out of ice in less than three minutes,” Hiram’s head tilted to the side. “We should get back. They’re starting to look for us.”

“Alright,” Elsa said, sad that they couldn’t stay longer.

Hiram smiled. “Next time I’ll take you water gliding with Shako and Nadine.”

* * *

“Princess Anna!” a servant cried out, backing against the wall to avoid being run over by the girl.

“Sorry,” Anna apologized hurriedly. “I’m late.”

She reached the stairs and made a last minute decision to not slide down. This was a particularly special day. Not only were they going to celebrate the alliance Elsa made with Hiram, they were also going to announce that she and Kristoff were officially courting. Anna wanted to be extra careful to keep her dress in pristine condition.

Anna reached the bottom and glanced at the edge of her dress. She sighed at the speck of dirt smearing the immaculate material. “Why am I always a dirt magnet?” she asked out loud.

“Because you’re such a nice person even the earth likes you,” Kristoff said. Anna whirled around to find the Ice Master and Deliverer walking toward her wearing an elegant suit with dark green accents and even shoulder plates.

“Oh c’mon!” Anna exclaimed. “Can’t I have one day where I don’t get dirt on my clothes?”

“If you never left your room,” Kristoff said, “sure.”

“Pfff,” Anna scoffed. “So what’d I miss?”

“Breakfast.”

“And…”

“That’s about it.”

Relief flooded through her. “Thank goodness!”

Kristoff held out his arm. “I’ll come with you to the kitchen. Then we have to get to the throne room for a last minute rehearsal.”

Anna took his arm. “What part of the ceremony are we going to cover?” she asked as they walked toward the kitchen.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Kristoff said casually. “Something.”

“How specific,” Anna deadpanned.

“I excel in the specific.”

Anna just smiled. When they arrived at the door leading to the castle kitchens, she picked up the unmistakable scent of pancakes, toast, and bacon. Her mouth watered at the appetizing aromas wafting from the room on the other side of the door.

When they entered, they found several children retrieving food from a table in the center of the kitchen under the watchful gaze of their parents, who occasionally gave directions or reprimands. The kitchen staff was preparing to store away the leftovers.

“Princess Anna. Ice Master,” one of the cooks greeted the young couple.

“I hope I didn’t miss out on too much,” she said, smiling.

“Certainly not my dear,” the cook said. “In fact, you came right on time. We were just about to close up shop for the morning.”

“Thank you.” Anna walked to the table, grabbed a plate, and began filling it. Feeling a tug at her dress, she looked down to see a little boy staring at her. He was no more than three years old, with bright red hair and a pale complexion. He appeared frustrated as he pointed to the table which seemed to tower over him. Anna realized what the boy wanted and set her food down so she could pick him up.

Once he could get a clear view of the food he grabbed a piece of toast and straightened his body slightly, letting her know that he was ready to be put down. Anna set him on the floor and watched with a grin as he stared at her for a few seconds before scampering to the other end of the kitchen, where his mother picked him up and whispered something in his ear.

Anna recognized the boy’s mother as one of Hiram’s staff who played a key role in keeping their communications network up and running. She gave Anna a quick smile of gratitude and turned to her son, who was getting bread crumbs all over his shirt.

After finishing her food, Anna and Kristoff left to find Elsa. They passed Captain Jokkon and Grum, who were using the peaceful hours to give security one last inspection before the celebration. She bit back a laugh as she remembered them arguing yesterday morning about where soldiers should place their shoulder pads on their uniforms. She had no idea that a difference of less than two centimeters from the collar could spark such an intense debate.

They entered the throne room and saw Elsa and Hiram going through the morning rehearsal for at least the seventh time, judging from the looks on their faces. Kai and the bishop were standing off to the side, their faces expressionless. Kai caught sight of Anna and gestured toward the throne with his head. It took a few seconds for Anna to understand what he meant.

“Oh, right,” she said, hurrying to the side door where she and Kristoff would enter for the announcement.

She and Kristoff got there just in time. Kai announced Elsa and Hiram, which meant that she and Kristoff were supposed to walk forward as well. Elsa gave a short version of the announcement of Anna and Kristoff’s courtship and had them run through the whole process one more time with Anna present.

“I didn’t know courting the princess of Arendelle required so much ceremony,” Kristoff said once they finished.

“Royalty tends to have a lot of that Kristoff,” Hiram pointed out. “Just be glad you’re not courting an Italian princess.”

Anna noticed he now had on the uniform that matched the one she saw in his mind when they first met him. Elsa wore a variation of her ice dress that closely resembled her coronation gown, except it seemed to her that it had some features that allowed for greater freedom of movement while still appearing stiff and formal.

“It’s not going to stop there, is it?”

“Sorry, Kristoff,” Anna apologized. “I don’t like this stuff that much either, but it comes with the territory.”

“Worth it though,” Kristoff grinned, giving her a peck on the cheek.

Anna couldn’t stop the smile that pulled on her lips. She could hardly wait for the announcement to be made or to see the expressions on some of the dignitaries’ faces when they heard the news. Many of them had expected her to be married to one of the princes to cement a treaty or increase goodwill.

“Why do you have a dress like that?” Anna asked her sister after the Bishop excused himself. “It almost looks as though it can’t decide whether to be a ball dress or a fancy battle dress.”

“That’s the point, Anna,” Elsa said. “I was looking for something that would allow me to use my powers more easily. My ice dress was not working very well for the practices, so I have been working on this design. Gerda, Simar, and even Hiram helped out.”

“Did Simar help you with your uniform, Hiram?” Anna asked.

“Yes actually,” Hiram answered. “She and your grandparents were assigned the task of designing all of our uniforms, including variations for casual and combat use. Isten had us learn how to reconstruct each of the designs in case they were damaged or lost.”

“Huh,” Kristoff said. “So he had you all come up with your own distinctive designs that matched your powers?”

“Yeah.”

“Hiram and I wanted to talk to you about something before the celebration begins,” Elsa said, changing the subject.

“What is it?” Anna asked, immediately concerned. “Did something happen?”

“No,” Elsa hesitated. “At least not that I know of. I had Captain Jokkon increase the security patrols and Hiram put a few more of his people on standby.”

“Isten has left us alone for this long,” Anna pointed out. “Maybe he has decided to keep his distance for the time being.

“He might,” Hiram agreed. “But he also may want to use an occasion like this to discredit us and get more countries on his side. I know that Corona and a few others are on good terms with Arendelle, but there are some that are borderline hostile.”

“Please don’t remind me,” Anna said, thinking back several weeks ago to when they received word that some longtime allies were severing all ties with Arendelle when they heard that Elsa gave Hiram’s people sanctuary and support in getting international recognition as king. Even the normally impeccable bishop had to take a few seconds to calm himself after reading some of the letters.

“That letter practically reeked of Isten,” Kai muttered.

“Yes,” Elsa agreed. “Yes it did.”

“But we’re still having the party, right?” Anna asked.

“Yes, Anna,” Elsa said reassuringly. She grabbed Anna’s arm and led her out. “Now c’mon. We need to brush up on your ice skating before this whole thing starts.”

“But I already know how to ice skate.”

“Don’t argue with the queen, little sister,” Elsa admonished.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Your Highness,” Anna said. “But I have no problem arguing with my _older_ sister.”

“I will make you rue the day you said that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Anna said. She looked at her sister’s face and noticed her hair had a more windswept look than usual. “What did you do to your hair?”

Elsa gave her an excited smile. “I flew today!”

Anna was stumped. “What?”

“Well, I was on the balcony earlier today, enjoying the cool morning air, when Hiram…”


	15. Ruler: Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! Sorry its been so long. With what has been going on and how that affects school, I guess I sort of took and unofficial hiatus. But now I'm back and with good next chapter. Hopefully.

Despite the years she spent training to be a queen and the experience of hosting several balls and other events of state, Elsa could not ignore the nagging stress that built up whenever the date arrived. She tried telling herself that it was just nerves, but deep down she knew that something else was causing this anxiety.

“ _Beware your enemies, Elsa,”_ her father told her years ago. _“Always be vigilant. Just when you think they will leave you alone they strike.”_

Should she be wary of the Derelict and their leader? No. Despite their rocky start, Elsa now considered Hiram her friend and confidant. Were there some among the arriving delegates that Elsa, her sister, and Hiram greeted, under the Mind Lord’s sway? Hiram was sure of it. In fact, he pointed out several individuals who he said reported directly to Isten. In almost every cautious glance or outright glare it almost seemed that the Mind Lord was the one looking at her through the guests. The guests had been quietly expelled, but the incident cast a shadow over the festivities.

“Elsa!” Anna called, though not as loudly as normal.

Elsa turned to see her sister and Kristoff making their way toward her through the crowds. Anna appeared almost ready to physically harm someone as she dragged an embarrassed Kristoff after her. Groaning inwardly, Elsa steeled herself.

“What happened, Anna?” Elsa asked looking between her sister and Kristoff. Kristoff didn’t meet her gaze and instead stared at the floor.

Anna took a deep breath. “I had to drag him away from some dignitaries who were not so subtly trying to embarrass him for not being born into royalty. They wanted his ‘opinion’ of the trade congress that would meet in three years to discuss import tariffs and the possibility of including the Russian Empire in the arrangement.”

“What?” Elsa asked, confused. “There’s no such thing!”

“It’s okay, Elsa,” Kristoff said quietly. “Anna got me out of it before I got around to answering.” He sighed.

Anna continued. “He said they told him that any prince should know about international politics and that he should consider getting a tutor. Of course they included several thinly-veiled insults directed toward both him and me.”

“What did you say to them, Anna?” Elsa asked worriedly.

“Nothing that would jeopardize diplomatic relations,” Anna said reassuringly. “Just told them to get lost in a thinly-veiled sort of way.”

Elsa rolled her eyes and was about to say something when she saw several dignitaries approaching.

She looked at Anna and Kristoff. “Get ready, the night is not over yet.” Elsa always felt better talking to officials with her sister by her side.

Anna’s fiery spirit and naturally optimistic outlook on life, Kristoff’s sincerity and Hiram’s extensive political knowledge gave her the support she needed to put on her queen face again and again for three days. Treaties that had been debated for weeks were ratified. Ill will was faced and pushed back and diplomatic ties established with countries that previously didn’t have time to acknowledge such an isolated and small nation.

After the last ship sailed out of sight and the servants retired for the evening, everyone gathered in the library for a few moments to unwind before going to bed. There was some light conversation but for the most part they sat in silence.

Elsa felt as if her mind had turned to pudding. Little sleep, endless meetings with diplomats and constant vigilance for hidden agendas slowed her thought processes to a crawl. She felt her sister, who sat on the couch next to her, shift in discomfort and turn until her back was to Elsa’s shoulder. She looked at Hiram, who played the part of a pillow for sleepy Shako and Nadine. Off to the side, Tor wrote in a journal he recently purchased and Simar drew pictures on a small piece of canvas.

As the fire slowly died out they began to excuse themselves. Simar was first with firm instructions to the children to not stay up for much longer. Then Kristoff, Grum, and Captain Jokkon bade them goodnight. Soon, only Hiram, Tor, Anna, Elsa and the children were left.

“Hey,” Nadine asked after a moment. “How come Elsa suddenly dragged Anna away when she saw the nobleman from Portugal yesterday?”

“Yeah, Elsa,” Anna said. “Why did you?”

Elsa shrugged. Since all the visiting dignitaries had left for their respective countries it would probably be okay for her sister to know. “Remember how we ran into that merchant earlier this year who tried to get me on that vegetarian diet?”

“Oh yeah,” Anna said. “He was so rude that I thought I had to bite my arm to keep from hitting him.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “He only suggested I needed to lose weight, Anna.”

“A travelling merchant called you fat?” Hiram asked. “Did he have working eyes?”

“Oh, his eyes worked fine,” Anna explained. “It was his outlook on life that made him so insufferable. You were saying Elsa?”

“He was the delegate’s secretary,” Elsa said. The room was quiet.

“He was here?” Anna exclaimed.

“Unfortunately,” Elsa sighed. “Apparently, he told his employer a lot about Arendelle. The poor nobleman almost made a serious blunder this morning as a result. I think that merchant will not be employed for much longer.”

“Good,” Anna said. “The sooner he is out of the diplomatic world the better.”

“At least some people have the good sense…” Hiram started to say but trailed off, his eyes unfocused.

“What is it, Hiram?” Shako asked.

Elsa looked at her friend in concern as he stood up and walked to the hearth. He stared at the brick wall encasing the dying embers and placed his hand on it. Nadine seemed to hear something and slid off the couch and on to the floor. She put her ear to it like she was listening for tiny rodents scurrying below the floorboards. Anna knelt down beside the small girl, placing a hand on her back.

After a moment Hiram shook his head and returned to his place on the couch, shooting a questioning glance at his young charge. He must have asked her something with his abilities, because she raised her head just long enough to give him a suspicious look before returning to her task.

“I don’t know, Shako,” Hiram said, answering the boy’s earlier question. “I thought I heard a small earthquake,” he looked at Nadine again. When she didn’t give any indication of having found anything he leaned back. “But I am exhausted so I could be imagining things.”

Then a deep voice filled the room so that the very walls seemed to talk. “Oh I assure you, boy. You weren’t.”

Elsa and Hiram were on their feet in an instant. Anna grabbed Shako’s hand and pulled him down next to her and his adopted sister. Elsa looked around the dimly lit room, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

“Who are y-” Hiram suddenly turned and raised a pressure field between him and the fireplace. Elsa looked to the threat and froze. A large section of the brick fireplace had come loose and was flying at Hiram. She saw him use his powers enough to know that his defense would not have time to become strong enough to block it.

Hiram’s pressure field rippled as the projectile touched it. It broke through his powers and struck him on the chest, sending him crashing into the wall next to the window. Elsa went to help him but something rough and hard grabbed her wrist. She looked down and saw that another section of the hearth extended itself towards her. It split into small, claw like appendages. She tried to shake it loose but its grip only tightened.

“Elsa!” Anna yelled. She leapt to her feet and rushed to her side. Elsa gave her a panicked look as she tried to shatter the bonds with her ice.

“Where are you, Hiram?” Nadine yelled as she and Shako shot to their feet.

“Over here,” Hiram’s said, his voice strained. “That hurt.” The stone projectile had morphed until it bound his hands and feet.

Elsa wanted to help him but she couldn’t get free of the vice like grip on her wrist. Her ice wouldn’t respond. It was like her powers suddenly disappeared. She couldn’t even find an echo of their presence. In the corner of her eye, she saw Hiram was having difficulty freeing himself as well.

“C’mon, Elsa!” Anna said. “You can break it!”

“I’m trying!” Elsa said, panic rising inside her. “I can’t feel my powers.”

“Good.” The stone wall above the hearth morphed and a man emerged. A small staircase extended to the floor and he stepped down. “Then you will have no problem coming with me.”

“Get out of our castle!” Anna yelled. “Guards!”

“Ah, ah, ah,” the mysterious man said. Another section of the hearth separated and blocked the library doors. “It would be a shame if people got hurt.”

“Who are you?” Elsa asked.

“This wielder would know,” he said, gesturing to Hiram. “Right, Hiram?”

Hiram gazed at the intruder. Elsa saw his face darken in recognition.

“Lord Sorren,” Hiram said, his voice low and dangerous.

“Not anymore,” the man, Sorren, corrected bitterly. “I lost all that when you and the Mind Lord had your little war on my land. Now I’m just a soldier.”

“You’re a wielder, too?” Nadine asked.

“Yes, Nadine,” he smiled as the girl shivered at the use of her name. “Soon after I was born, my parents discovered that I had powers and took me to a secluded cave where an old troll lived. She was able to suppress my abilities.”

Sorren waved his hands and the bricks on Elsa’s wrist dropped away. In their place was a small grey wristband. Elsa tried to take it off but a sharp pain in her mind drove her to her knees.

“Elsa!” Anna exclaimed. She glared at Sorren. “What did you do to her?”

“Nice trick isn’t it?” Sorren said, ignoring the pounding on the door. “Isten learned how to use these mind vaults to more effectively block Wielders’ powers by studying the restraints on mine. He freed me from the curse the old troll used.”

Hiram stood slowly, the stone binds obstructing his movement. “I thought you would hate him for what he did to you.” Elsa could see a mind vault wristband on him as well. _Now we’re both defenseless_ , she realized with dread.

“I still do,” Sorren conceded. “But I discovered that he was the only one who would employ me when my king kicked me out. Allies by necessity and all that other rubbish.” He lifted a hand and Elsa saw a column of stone rise outside the library window. It bent forward and shattered the glass. Shako and Nadine charged him but he knocked them out with a few well aimed rocks to their heads.

“No!” Hiram shouted but was cut off when the pillar reached in to grab him and Elsa.

“Elsa!” Anna yelled, clutching Elsa’s hand.

“Anna!” Elsa said. “You have to let go!”

“No!” Anna cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m not losing you again!”

Elsa ignored the tears in her own eyes and leaned forward to whisper, “I love you Anna.”

* * *

Hiram felt like he was going to be sick. The constant up and down motions he experienced through his journey underground tormented his stomach. It didn’t help that his mind was also in turmoil, moving from despair to regret as his captor led him and Elsa on.

How could he have been so blind? He should’ve known Isten would try something like this at the celebration. In fact, he should have expected it sooner. He bit back the urge to yell.

Perhaps all of it was part of Isten’s plan. With his influence he could have convinced many nations that Hiram and Elsa had ulterior motives for the celebration. Having two wielders suddenly thrust on the international stage in such a short amount of time, people would have been understandably fearful. Isten was a master at feeding off of fear.

His ankles and wrists were bound by some earthlike shackles, forcing him to stay in a kneeling position. Without his powers to prevent injury, his knees became sore from contact with the rock. Even in the pitch black he could hear Elsa next to him, her breathing hitched. This was the second time Isten tried to kidnap her. Before, he had to settle with her sister, but they managed to rescue her. Now Isten had both of them.

Then they began to rise. Hiram couldn’t help but be impressed with how well the former noble learned to control his abilities in such a short amount of time. He even managed to make sure they had breathable air despite being who knows how many feet beneath the ground. Despite the anger he felt toward Sorren, he couldn’t help but wonder what else the man was capable of.

-}=---<>|<>\---={-

 _Why?_ Elsa asked. _Why, why, why?_ She tried to be vigilant and protect her people. The fate she dreaded came like a sudden winter storm and took everything from her.

And it was all hers and Hiram’s fault.

They let their guard down and someone they knew nothing about took advantage of it. Now Anna, Kristoff, those sweet children and all of Arendelle were in danger. Isten would subjugate them all, reducing some to mindless slaves and the rest to a hopeless life of servitude. Images flashed in her mind, her imagination fueled by despair and weariness.

Elsa saw Isten coming like a vengeful beast, easily overwhelming any meager defenses her people put up. She heard screams and cries for mercy as he invaded their minds and made them forget everything that made them special. She pictured him on her throne passing judgement on Anna, Kai, Tor and Simar as well as anyone else important to the smooth running of the kingdom. She saw their eyes turn from their natural colors to dull grey.

She saw herself, locked away in Isten’s fortress where no army could reach, meeting her sister for the first time in years and finding that she couldn’t even remember her. Dull green eyes would look at her and wonder who she was. Then Anna would turn away and continue with whatever monotonous task she was assigned that day. A precious life ruined all because she couldn’t live up to the purpose of her position.

To protect her people.

Their forward momentum was abruptly arrested and they began a rapid ascent. Elsa realized they must be close to their destination. She strained her eyes looking for a source of light. Finding none, she forced herself to calm down. She couldn’t do it.

“We’re here,” Sorren announced moments later. Elsa heard the rocks and ground around them shift and moan. Instead of a confined space, the earth around widened as if in anticipation of a magnificent reveal.

Starlight met Elsa and Hiram as they finally emerged from the ground and into open air. When Sorren captured them it was evening. An hour or so must have passed since then. The bonds loosed and Sorren told them to stand up. Elsa rose and almost stumbled from the lack of feeling in her legs. She remained stooped for a few seconds to let blood circulation flow again before gazing at her new surroundings.

With her eyes so used to zero light, Elsa was able to make out her surroundings fairly easily. She was in a massive courtyard fenced in by wall so high she thought it could put the Great Wall of China to shame. The keep towered above them like a mountain built by giants. She wondered how Isten could have pulled something like that off, but remembered that he had wielders and one of them could control the earth.

Suddenly, horns blared and torches once doused burst into flame. Scores of people entered the courtyard and gazed at the captives. Elsa wanted to shrink into herself. She felt like some exotic oddity a traveling circus would show to the crowds.

Guards approached and roughly tied Hiram and Elsa’s hands with thick rope.

“Finally,” a voice said. Elsa turned and saw Matej marching toward them with a dozen men behind him, ignoring the bows he was given. “Is your squad ready?” he asked a soldier who was better dressed than the rest.

“Yes, sir,” came the subdued reply.

“Then form up. I want to get these to Isten so we can join Harriet in the hunt for the others.” Matej turned without sparing Sorren so much as a glance and marched off. A short period of jostling told Elsa that she and Hiram were to follow the wielder of fire. She almost missed the furious look Sorren cast in Matej’s direction.

As they approached the keep, Elsa tried to see if she could find some way for them to escape if they got the chance. But her efforts were in vain. Nothing was visible from where she stood; the Mind Lord built his fortress too well.

She felt a hand gently take her arm and allowed Hiram to lead her on. This was what they were fighting against? She knew this man was powerful, but to have built a castle of this scale and not have anyone know about it would take a great deal of influence to encourage the local rulers to look the other way.

“It’s certainly bigger than the last one,” Hiram whispered, taking his hand away from her arm.

“That isn’t exactly reassuring,” Elsa said.

“Isten’s first castle was built in ten years. This one, I hear, was constructed in three.”

“How do you know?”

“I overheard some of the slaves talking,” Hiram said, nodding to the plain dressed people milling about.

“What does that mean for us?” Elsa asked.

“I hope it means he’s desperate. He doesn’t have as much time to choose a successor. If he dies before one is found, it would leave a power vacuum that could destroy what he has built. This is bad.”

“Yes,” Elsa agreed sadly. “Yes it is.” Matej’s claim that Isten already sent Harriet to retrieve the children and the rest of his former slaves sent her blood racing.

Her ice sense tingled and her powers seemed to nudge her slightly. She felt hope grow in her heart. _Will my powers overcome the vaults?_ she wondered. If they could, then she would be able to free Hiram and then escape to save their families. Hopefully, they could fight their captors off before reinforcements arrived.

But the object on her wrist hummed, sending a spark of electricity through her arm and into her mind. The small grasp she had on her powers was immediately squashed and they faded into the background of her consciousness until they seemed as unattainable as the possibility of a non-wielder escaping from Isten’s fortress.

Her mind seemed to almost shut down and it took all her effort to even keep the stairs in focus. Her vision grew blurry as the grey mist obscured her sight and thoughts. Time seemed to warp and bend until she was unsure if the fortress was really in front of them or if it was actually a distant memory she was reliving.

“We’re here,” Matej’s voice broke through her dulled thoughts.

With Elsa’s powers beyond reach once again, the vault on her arm calmed and allowed her mind to return. By the time her vision cleared, they had arrived at the door of the keep. The massive stone structure stood as a testament to its owner’s power. The door itself was a hundred feet tall.

Elsa shivered, fear beginning to crawl its way into her heart. Fear for her sister’s safety, for Kristoff and Sven, for Olaf and her other snow creations, but also fear for the small country she wanted so much to protect. Despite the stoic exterior Hiram maintained, she could see his thoughts were the same. They had failed.

Matej coated the iron door in fire and it lifted.


	16. Ruler: Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, it wasn't until well into the development of this story when I realized I created a reverse Magneto vs. Professor X scenario. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

_Hiram_ , the tone and hostility were unmistakable.

 _Isten_ , Hiram replied. The presence left. Nothing more needed to be said - soon they would meet face to face for the first time in years.

The inside of the castle was bare of decoration. No suits of armor lined the stone hallways and the floor was devoid of any decorative rugs. The torches provided light, but not heat - Hiram still felt a the chill from the colder northern climate.

Beside him, Elsa shivered.

“Are you alright, Elsa?” Hiram asked. He had learned much about her and her abilities since they met. One of the first was that her powers made her immune to some of the most extreme cold in the world. With that protection now gone, she was vulnerable.

The room buckled and rocked as a sharp pain erupted in the back of Hiram’s head. He staggered and almost fell but for a strong hand steadying him. His ears rang and his head throbbed. Of course, he could no longer absorb blows to the head.

“Silence traitor,” the guard holding him said.

It felt oddly familiar to stand at the doors leading to Isten’s throne room. The sense that they were already condemned permeated the air like a colorless fog. Whatever would happen to them had already been decided, this was just a formality. Without a word the doors opened and they walked through without hesitating.

In stark contrast to the forbidding halls of seamless stone outside, the throne room held some of the most expensive decorations and relics Hiram had ever seen. It was even more lavish than the last fortress Hiram had destroyed all those years ago.

With a start, Hiram realized that the party had stopped in the middle of the throne room in perfect unison. When had he been told to stop? Did Isten use his powers for ensuring the smooth operation of ceremonies now?

He tried sparing a glance at Elsa but his neck refused to obey him. Instead, he found himself kneeling before the tyrant with the guards and Elsa. From the way Elsa’s eyes were widening, Hiram was worried that she would soon start panicking.

“You may rise,” Isten said. The guards stood but Hiram and Elsa remained where they were. Silence hung thick in the air. Isten slowly stood and Hiram was suddenly struck by how old he seemed. He didn’t see a man at the height of his power and glory, but an old king on the verge of losing what strength he had left.

Hiram noted all of this in a second, but it was long enough for Isten to latch onto his train of thought. He felt the man’s glare even in his mind, mixed with anger, desperation and resignation.

“Leave us,” Isten commanded. Without a word everyone except the two prisoners quietly turned and filed out. They didn’t even spare the captives a second glance. Only Isten’s old servant remained. “You may stand.”

Invisible chains immediately loosened in Hiram’s mind and he found himself back in control of his legs. He shakily got to his feet and swayed from the leftover dizziness of being struck. Cool, almost cold fingers touched his arm and the shock banished the more intense effects. Hiram gave Elsa a small smile in thanks.

“I’m alright,” she said, answering his earlier question.

“Hiram of the Derelict and Elsa of Arendelle,” Isten said. “You both have become the greatest obstacles I have faced in ridding the world of our cursed legacy. However, I do not have the hardness of heart to kill you.”

Still not willing to stoop that low, Hiram thought.

“That’s right, boy,” Isten said. “I have only killed once and that showed me the anguish and suffering a person endures when they experience it. I have no desire to inflict such pain on others, no matter what they have done to me.”

“You’re a saint,” Hiram said sarcastically.

The comment didn’t seem to phase Isten as much as it would have in the past. “Just a man doing what is necessary.”

“Necessary for what?” Elsa asked.

Isten turned his grey to the young queen. “Necessary to eliminate one source of power mankind has fought over for millennia. When the last of us die in a few generations, one great cause of conflict will have been removed from human history.”

“There will be others,” Elsa said. Hiram knew she was right. Evil people will always find ways to gain power and use it to crush others. Ending one source would just cause them to look for another.

“Of course there will be others,” Isten said irritably. “I don’t have the kind of power to control what they want to kill each other over. The only thing I can control is the part our own kind plays in the grand scheme of things.”

“Which is no part at all,” Hiram said. This much he had known for years.

“Not anymore,” Isten said, turning his attention back to him. “You two have destroyed any chance I had of completing my work.” Pressure built up in Hiram’s mind. “You, Hiram, could have been my successor. You could have taken the reigns of this great endeavor and seen it through in your lifetime. But you chose to contest it and jeopardized everything I worked for.”

“You,” He said to Elsa. “You exposed us to the world when the last fairy tales of wielders were fading away into obscurity. Now the old legends are being reborn for this age. There are scholars in China looking into their own history for signs of wielders living among them.” He shook his head. “It’ll take centuries for the damage to be undone.”

His shoulders sagged as if a great weight fell on them. “Sorren is no better than a soldier. Matej and Harriet are both capable, but they are too addicted to my powers to take my place. You both have destroyed my legacy. And for that I will destroy yours.”

He gestured for his servant and the old man stepped forward, his soft voice filling every inch of the throne room. “Hiram and Elsa. For your crimes against the Mind Lord and for undermining the safety of millions of people in exposing your powers to the world, you have been sentenced to a lifetime of bondage in the dungeons of the Mind Lord’s stronghold. When you die, you will be given unmarked graves as a sign that your existence is to be unremembered in the annals of history.”

When he finished, the doors once again opened and the soldiers walked in and led them away. Hiram and Elsa tried to resist when they were separated but their efforts were futile. Without their powers, they were helpless.

After Hiram was locked in his room, though he believed ‘cell’ would be the more appropriate term, he placed his hands on the wooden door and leaned against it until his mind and legs turned numb. He then looked at his new surroundings, noting the simple bed, dresser, and narrow door leading to a latrine. A small desk with a few sheets of paper sat near the tiny window.

He sat down heavily on the bed and sent a silent plea. “Please, Lord,” he prayed. “Please help us.”

-}=---<>|<>\---={-

Besides the barest necessities Elsa’s room had, she was also given a vanity table with a mirror. It was shabby and starting to wear away but she could still see her reflection clearly. Her makeup usually was ice based. She never really took the time to learn how to apply the complicated shades during her years of isolation.

Now that she thought about, Elsa felt that her current predicament was not very different than the period of her life locked in her room. Except now she would never see her family again. Tears ran down her cheeks, sparkling slightly in the dim candle light.

She laid her hands on her lap and rested her head on the vanity table, praying for a chance to escape.

* * *

Anna never felt so hopeless in all her life. Not even the helplessness she felt during the years of separation from her sister could compare to what she was feeling now. Her sister was gone. And unlike the last time Isten tried to attack her family, there was no Hiram to help rescue Arendelle.

It was just them, a small group of non-wielders, plus two children whose powers were still developing, against the vast power of the Mind Lord. There was no way for them to get word to their allies in time. Even the Derelict’s pigeons wouldn’t be fast enough.

They considered sending either Shako or Nadine away to safety, but that was quickly ruled out by Simar and Grum. Even if they went together it was almost certain that they would be captured by one of Isten’s more experienced Wielders.

Usually, whenever a meeting was held, Anna would be attentive to the deliberations. Since part of the duties she took on soon after the coronation was helping with correspondence and forming treaties, it was important for her to be present. It took a few months, but she learned to quell her boundless energy enough to fulfill her new duties.

Now she couldn’t stop herself from staring out the window as the sun slowly began to share its light with their part of the world. Seated at the long table in the council chamber, the leaders of both Arendelle and the Derelict debated on the best course of action they should take. Even in her distracted state, she noticed the Derelict leaders were strangely silent for the most part.

By now the debate had turned to when and how the evacuation would occur.

“I believe that immediate evacuation is in order,” Captain Jokkon argued. “We stand a better chance of prolonged resistance if the town is empty. We’ll be able to reorganize whoever is left and with the help of the Derelict it should be little problem at all.”

Anna tuned out Kai’s reply. She didn’t want to run - Arendelle was her home. Where would they go? Who would take them in? Would they live in the more mountainous regions like the ice harvesters? She knew that many of the refugees would be unable to cope with the extreme change in circumstances. But was running the only option?

“You seem to be very quiet today,” Captain Jokken said to the Derelict leaders. Anna snapped out of her musing to listen to what they would say.

“I believe it is because they already made a decision,” the Bishop said.

Tor nodded. “We have.”

“What are you going to do?” Anna asked.

Tor and Simar looked at Grum. “We are staying.” The ex-guard’s simple statement weighed heavily in the air.

Captain Jokkon looked at him with a piercing stare. “Why?”

“We have been on the run for years,” Tor said. “Outside of being slaves of Isten, it’s the only life we know. We never had a real home until Hiram and Queen Elsa signed the treaty. Even though it’s a temporary arrangement, we didn’t have to hide and pretend to be like everyone else. We were accepted for who we are. We will not run again.”

“It’ll mean captivity if you stay,” the Bishop pointed out.

“We know,” Simar said sadly.

That was all Anna needed to hear. “I suppose that decides it then.”

“What!” the captain exclaimed. “Princess, I strongly protest! You have to stay safe. If we can get you to Corona, then there is a chance to gather support to fight back.”

“Support from who?” Anna said hotly. Weariness from not being able to sleep last night was making her irritable. “The only help our allies can give us is either sanctuary, which would do no good against the most powerful man in Europe, or assemble an army that would crumble against the power of four wielders.” Anna took a few calming breaths. “I don’t like bringing up what happened in the past, but Elsa froze Arendelle and we would’ve had a severe drought four months ago if it weren’t for Hiram. If we stay, he conquers us. If we run, we will only drag others into the fight.”

The captain still looked doubtful. “Princess Anna, I don’t th-” he was interrupted when the door burst open and a panicked guard entered.

“Your Highness,” he said breathlessly. “There is a ship approaching. It’s flying the same colors as the ones that tried to capture the queen before,” he skin seemed to pale slightly. “There is a fire dragon on it.”

“Get the castle on high alert!” Captain Jokkon and Grum said at the same time. They looked at each other for a moment. Anna thought for sure she saw some unspoken agreement pass between them.

Grum looked back at the guard. “Call the lieutenants, soldier. We must be ready for the siege.”

The guard’s face turned completely white. “S-siege, sir?” he stuttered.

“Confound it, man!” Grum snapped. “Every second you delay could spell disaster for Arendelle. Now step to it!” The guard came out of his stupor and gave the captain a questioning glance. At his nod, the guard rushed out of the council chamber like his very life depended on it.

“How are we going to fight all those wielders?” Captain Jokkon asked.

“Simple,” Anna said. “We use wielders of our own.”

“Come out children,” Simar called. One of the council room’s back doors opened and Shako and Nadine walked in.

“We’re sorry,” Nadine apologized.

“We just wanted to listen,” Shako said.

Kai shook his head with a small smile. “Normally I would be upset,” he stood up and walked to the main entrance. “But the queen and princess also had a knack for listening in on important meetings when they were little.”

 _What?_ Anna thought. “I don’t think we did anything…” she trailed off as a memory, old and almost forgotten, came to her. She and Elsa were on the other side of that same door spying on the conversation between her father and some diplomat she couldn’t remember. As soon as the meeting ended, their father was somehow able to discover their hiding place. She remembered him being a little disappointed but there was no punishment, only a warning that they were not to do it again.

“Yeah, we did,” she admitted.

Kai smiled. “I will see to it that we have as much in the way of supplies as possible and have the civilians quartered in the castle.” Anna nodded and he left.

“So how can we help?” Shako asked.

Anna looked down at little Nadine. “I just need you to be ready to fight when they come for us.”

-}=---<>|<>\---={-

The servant was on the verge of hyperventilating. Never in his life could he remember doing something as dangerous and foolish as betraying his master. The dark hallways of the sparsely populated fortress complex no longer seemed safe or as much like a home as his enslaved mind previously thought.

With the Mind Lord so preoccupied and fearful of his uncertain future, his hold on the loyal servant began to slip. Little by little, the long dormant mind began to awaken. First it was concern for the wellbeing of the master, then it evolved into doubt concerning the master’s actions against the rebel wielder. Was this man right to force loyalty from a boy who should be allowed to decide his own future? For that matter, was it right for Isten to bring about the extinction of a branch of humanity that, despite some mistakes, had always striven to protect their powerless brothers and sisters?

These questions followed him like the plague to the vault room, deafening in their repetition. They swirled around in his mind as he picked up a sound vault and an ice vault. The part of his mind still loyal to the Mind Lord screamed at his betrayal.

But there was another, stronger part that remembered he used to be a free man with a family. He could no longer their names or what they looked like, yet he could still feel the love they had for each other. That part of him was furious at being chained up. He knew he would never see his family again and that stirred the dead coals of his mind to life. The captive wielders still had family and he would to all he could to help them make it back home.

He pulled a set of keys he stole out of his pocket and inserted one into the lock leading to the rooms where the Mind Lord’s prisoners were kept. He knew that rescuing them was the right thing to do. With Isten gone to Arendelle, it should be relatively easy for them to escape.

The grey mist started to cloud his thoughts again, but he quickly pushed it into the background as he opened the door.

Soon things will be set right. He had hope.


	17. Ruler: Part 5

Hiram’s halfhearted attempts at breaking through the mental barriers of the bracelet were met with failure. His vision swam, forcing him to his knees from the dizziness. Sweat beaded on his brow as he shakily crawled back to his bed. He didn’t bother trying to find the pillow and let his eyes close. Exhaustion threatened to pull him into a deep slumber, but his mind was too wound up to truly rest.

His head felt like it was imploding. Emptiness from the absence of his powers ate away at his mind. He never went this long without access to his abilities. Even when Isten punished him as a child, the blocks were only in place for a few hours to a day at most, and despite the haze he was under, Hiram would still feel the energy coursing through him, begging to be let out. Then the Mind Lord would remove his blocks and things would return to normal.

Now he felt nothing. _This must be what being normal feels like_ , Hiram thought, but he knew it wasn’t true. People wouldn’t feel a void in their soul like some crucial part of who they were had been ripped out. The emptiness ate away at his mind. He wanted his powers back. He wanted them so badly.

Hiram’s thoughts drifted to his family back in Arendelle. Did they get out in time? Are they fighting back? Are Shako and Nadine safe? His heart clenched. For all his power he couldn’t do something as simple as keeping them safe. How many times had he failed the Derelict? He remembered each and every person lost over the years. A single mother expecting her second child. A young child who used to beg Hiram to be let up on his shoulders. And so many others, all captured and enslaved.

And the children - Hiram didn’t try to stop the tears as they dripped down the sides of his face. They faced so much hardship and loss in their short lives. They, like everyone else, had the memories of their previous lives ripped from them. They’d been imprisoned, on the run, and gone for weeks without proper nourishment. That was no way for kids to grow up, looking over their shoulders, fearing capture and enslavement.

 _Some ruler I turned out to be_ , he thought bitterly. _First I was to be king of his little empire, but that didn’t work out so I became king of the Derelict._ He turned on his mattress and slammed his fist into the wall. Even without his powers he felt little pain. _I thought I was doing the right thing, bringing them out of hiding._

He looked up at the ceiling. _Did I do something wrong?_ He asked. _If I did I’m sorry. Please tell me how I can fix it._ _I want my powers back_.

Hours passed and the sun disappeared, leaving Hiram’s room in almost complete darkness. His captors didn’t allow him to have candles or any other furnishing that would aid him in escaping. _They learned their lesson the last time I set a fire in my prison,_ he thought with a smile. Years ago, Isten managed to capture Hiram after a week-long chase. He was locked in the cell of one of the Mind Lord’s allies. Even with the mind blocks and lack of food slowing him down, he was able to escape using a burning candle and bedding as fuel.

On the other side of the door, he could hear people approaching. The sound of a key being inserted into the lock alerted him that he had a visitor. He quickly stood and faced the door in case there was a chance to overpower them.

“The key won’t fit.” Hiram recognized the voice of Isten’s loyal servant. _What’s he doing here?_ , he wondered.

“I’ll freeze it,” Elsa said. Hiram took a half step back in shock. What was she doing here? They had her in a cell on the other side of the wing. Could it be a trick? Isten did like to create illusions to compel errant wielders to obey.

His doubts were quickly quenched when he saw ice appear on the lock. It shattered and the door swung open to reveal Elsa and Isten’s servant, terrified, but resolved. On Elsa’s right wrist was the Mind Vault. Hiram followed Elsa’s ice from her fingertips to the necklace she wore. An ice vault.

“Cool,” Hiram said.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. “Cool?”

Hiram shrugged. “Why not?”

“Uhh…” Elsa trailed off.

Hiram turned to the servant. “Got one for me?” his voice sounded a little rough to his ears.

The servant reached into his coat and pulled out a gauntlet with a bluish tint and handed it to him. Hiram slipped it on his left hand and felt it adjust its size accordingly. His senses were immediately flooded with the familiar sensations of the vibrations from the world around him. But instead of the energy coming from inside himself, it came from the glove.

“Thank you,” Hiram told the servant. “What’s our next move?” Now they had the means to escape. The question was, could they save their people?

He hoped so.

-}=---<>|<>\---={-

Controlling the winter elements with an ice vault instead of her own abilities felt strange to Elsa. Like the ice vault that Hiram destroyed, her vault was like a picture of some stunning scenery of nature. But no artist, no matter how skilled, could ever hope to create something resembling the essence of the real thing.

She also had to exert more effort to draw upon its vastly inferior powers. Hiram once said that the more potent ones could duplicate a twentieth of the wielder’s power. Freezing the lock to Hiram’s room was more difficult than she had thought it would be. Nevertheless, despite the disadvantages they faced, they were free and the Mind Lord was too far away to stop them.

Elsa turned to the servant.

“Where are you taking us?” she asked.

“Away from the guards,” he replied.

“How long have you worked for Isten?”

The servant’s pace slowed and his head sank a little lower. “Long. Too long.”

“I’m sorry,” Hiram said. “I should have tried to get you out as well.”

“I would not have come.”

Hiram said nothing and turned his attention back to the hallways as they ran. Elsa felt a surge of pity for the poor man. He seemed cold and aloof at first, but as the minutes passed, that cold surface seemed to chip and crack, revealing the broken human being underneath. _I wonder how many lives Isten destroyed trying to end our kind?_

“Halt!” Elsa spared a quick glance behind them to see three guards in pursuit.

“That’s our cue!” Hiram said. Elsa watched as his gauntlet sent a blue pulse through his arm and down to his feet. It lifted him from the floor and he glided across the hard surface like a skater. He spun around and launched a shockwave toward their pursuers. It sent the soldiers sprawling onto the ground, unconscious.

“Can we get out that way?” he asked, pointing to a window at the end of the hallway.

“Yes,” the servant said. “But they have soldiers stationed all along the wall.”

Hiram’s field expanded as he grabbed Elsa and the servant. They picked up speed until she could feel the wind whistling in her ears.

“There goes another window,” Hiram said just before they hit.

Elsa gasped at the open air, expecting them to fall. Instead, they soared over the massive battlements and walls.

“Where do we go next?” Elsa asked.

“There’s a store house a short distance from the main complex,” the servant explained. “We should be able to raid it without much difficulty.”

“Do you know where we are, Hiram?” Elsa asked.

Hiram shook his head.

“I do,” the servant said. “I stole a map before coming to get you.”

“No one stopped you?” Elsa asked.

“No one is closer to the Mind Lord than I. To question me was to question him,” he pointed to a small building near a line of trees. “There.”

Elsa nodded. In a way it made sense. Someone in Isten’s position would be at risk if any of those next to him knew too much. If they rebelled they could cause irreparable damage to his efforts. Better to have a mindless drone to do all the work for you. She never thought she would feel grateful for a betrayal.

Fetching the supplies they needed proved to be the easier task. The few terrified workers and guards put up little resistance when they saw the servant helping the two wielders Isten captured. A few cold gusts of wind and some gentle knocks to the head took care of the ones that tried to stop them.

They found some clothing more suitable for hard travel and after taking turns changing in the one bedroom, grabbed some provisions as well as a staff for Hiram, knives for Elsa, and a sword for the servant. They left just in time to see a detachment of mounted soldiers galloping toward them.

Hiram surrounded Elsa, the servant, and himself in a vibrating field that rattled Elsa bones before turning into gentle vibrations one would feel while riding in a carriage on smooth ground. When they shot away at incredible speed, Elsa didn’t feel herself thrown back from the acceleration. _Wow_ , she thought, looking at the trees as they blurred past them. She witnessed some of the high speeds Hiram was capable of and even felt some of it before the celebration several days ago. But to watch themselves fly so quickly through the forest and not feel the forces acting on them was amazing.

Hours passed as Hiram tried to maintain their progress, occasionally consulting with the servant and Elsa on the map and changing course when necessary. Isten’s fortress was built in the most northern regions of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Based on the progress they were making according to the map, the servant said they should arrive in Arendelle early tomorrow afternoon. Since it was more difficult to harness the sound vault, Hiram had to stop often so he could rest.

When the sun started setting, Hiram finally yielded to their urging and slowed to a stop. They had no tents, but were able to set up a small fire to ward off the evening chill. Hiram entertained them with stories of his early travels under Isten’s tutelage and how he and the Derelict survived the first difficult years after breaking free.

Elsa couldn’t help but see the servant had withdrawn from the conversation since they stopped. He appeared to have lost some of his color and sat hunched forward. Hiram followed her gaze and fell silent.

“You two should get some rest,” the servant said without looking up.

“In a little bit,” Hiram in a low voice.

“I have a question,” Elsa said. The servant raised his head slightly and looked at her. “What’s your name?”

Hiram eyes widened slightly and a thoughtful look crossed his face. The servant looked weary as he gazed off into the distance. Finally he shook his head.

“I can’t remember. Like the others, I lost my previous life when he made me his slave.” The bitterness of the last word felt like it was festering inside of him for decades waiting to be let out.

“Then you need a name,” Hiram said matter-of-factly. The servant jerked as if slapped.

“A- a name?” he asked, half fearful, half hopeful.

“That’s right,” Hiram said. He looked at Elsa. “Any ideas?”

“Hmm,” Elsa hummed, running through the list in her head. “How about Devin?” The servant looked unsure. “Maybe Rollo?”

“What about Jasen?” Hiram asked. The servant still looked uncertain as they listed off possible names. They tried Jordan, Bernie, and Charles, but none of them seemed to fit.

“Wait!” Elsa said. “How about Kelton?”

“Kelton,” the servant repeated, testing the name.

Hiram nodded. “Kelton. I like it.”

Elsa smiled. “What do you think?”

“Kelton,” the servant said. “I think Kelton can work.” The look of gratitude he gave her spoke more of his happiness than that simple statement.

Elsa lay back on her cloak and wiggled around some sticks digging into her back. “Goodnight, Kelton,” she said, closing her eyes. She felt sleep immediately begin to pull her and let her eyelids close. She was so tired that she almost missed his words before the dreams began.

“Goodnight, my queen.”

* * *

“Oh no,” Elsa whispered in despair.

Hiram agreed. They had fallen off course and come to Arendelle from the wrong direction. They wanted to see Grand Pabbie first and get those infuriating mind vaults off before confronting Isten. Now Hiram watched as another wave of Matej’s and Harriet’s hybrid soldiers attacked the castle. In the fjord, several warships lay anchored as the enemy wielders fired volleys of fire and rock to cover their creations.

A shout of defiance rose from the defenders and a volley of spears and arrows pelted the attackers. Several gave shouts of surprise as the weapons caused them to dissipate. The rest paid no heed to their unfortunate comrades and continued their assault. Despite his best efforts, the weak sound vault did not give Hiram enough power to find Isten. But he was there, somewhere.

 _Why, Matej?_ Hiram, not for the first time, silently wondered. _Why did you betray your family? Mama and Papa, they loved you like a son._ He pushed down the powerful emotion before it could hinder his focus. Matej had made his choice. He had chosen Isten.

Despite the grim situation, Hiram smiled as he looked at the black remains of another warship closer to the village. It appeared it got too close and paid the consequences. The remaining vessels did not seem eager to try their own luck.

“We have to get to Grand Pabbie,” Elsa said urgently.

“Yes,” Hiram agreed, reluctant to leave his people when they needed him most. If he could get his powers back, then they would have a chance.

Hiram called on the sound vault’s powers, creating a thin, hard platform under their feet. “Get ready!” He grabbed Elsa’s and Kelton’s hands and propelled them into the forest. The sound of intense fire alerted him. He looked up and saw a fire eagle circling above. “They’ve seen us!”

Kelton gave a start and stared at their pursuer with wide eyes. Elsa didn’t. She kept her focus forward, ready to guide them in case they lost their way again. Hiram picked up their pace and within minutes they found themselves at the entrance of the Valley of the Living Rock.

He didn’t stop. They thundered past the entrance and possibly startled a couple of trolls on guard. They passed over the steam vents, ignoring the moisture gathering on their shoes, and stopped suddenly in the center of the clearing.

The trolls didn’t bother waiting for a greeting and immediately unrolled and surrounded them. Hiram heard some startled exclamations and whispered questions. He gazed across the crowded steps trying to find their chief. For a few long seconds he feared that Isten had already captured Grand Pabbie. He breathed a sigh a relief when he saw the old troll rolling toward them.

“I’m glad to see you safe young ones!” he greeted. “Little Nadine came the day after you were captured and urged us to set a watch on our borders. I already sent a few families into hiding.” His eyes fell. “I had hoped you would find your way home.”

“We had help, Grand Pabbie,” Hiram said. He gestured to Kelton. “Kelton was Isten’s top servant, but he broke through his mental chains to save us. Queen Elsa and I owe him our freedom.”

Grand Pabbie turned to the former servant. “It is an honor to meet you, friend.”

“The honor is mine, good chief,” Kelton said with a bow.

The troll looked at Elsa and Hiram again with searching eyes. Hiram felt him probe his mind, silently asking them what happened. They held out their wrists to show him what suppressed their powers.

“Hmm,” he hummed. “These will take some energy to remove.”

“How long, Grand Pabbie?” Elsa asked. “They spotted us coming here.”

“I think we only have a few moments,” Hiram said, unable to keep the anxiety from his voice.

Grand Pabbie nodded and held out his hands. “I can’t remove the vaults with so little time. But I think I can fool them into leaving your powers alone.” Hiram placed his hand with the mind vault in Grand Pabbie’s rough palm and closed his eyes as he felt its power start to diminish. A sigh from Elsa told him her mind was being freed as well.

Suddenly, as if a dam broke under the stress of raging flood waters fueled by rain, his powers surged through his body. Hiram tried to keep them from bursting forth and hurting the trolls and Elsa but they seemed to grow stronger in response. He looked at Elsa and his eyes widened when he saw that her skin had turned ice-white. Her hands gripped her head as she appeared to struggle to keep her destructive powers at bay.

Beneath him, Hiram felt the ground shake and thought for a horrifying second that Isten’s wielders were already there. Then he realized it shook in tandem to the twitching of his hands. He took a deep, calming breath, focusing on good memories and emotions, and felt the trembling stop.

He had his powers under control, but it was tenuous. It was like an exotic caged animal screaming to be let free. One glance at Elsa told him she was working just hard as he was at keeping her abilities in check. Her ice armor began to form on her hands and feet, smoother and more beautiful than anything a master craftsman could create.

His own powers seemed to emanate from him like water vapor condensing near ice. He only reached this state several times in the past and was either when he was very desperate or angry. Now he felt like he could be both.

But he was more inclined to anger right now though he was sure some people would call it wrath.

-}=---<>|<>\---={-

“Hiram?” Elsa whispered, her voice strained. Keeping her powers from triggering a second summer-winter took more control than she thought. She was able to keep them from turning everything around her from being coated in ice. Barely.

“I’m okay,” Hiram said, and placed a hand on a small stone that immediately turned to dust. “Almost.”

“Grand Pabbie,” Elsa said, showing the old troll her ice covered hands. “This happened before. Hiram said it shouldn’t hurt me but what about everyone else? Can I accidentally freeze what I touch?”

“Elsa, dear,” Grand Pabbie said, “any harm or good that comes from your powers are because you let it. If you want the ice on your skin to freeze whatever it touches, then that is what will happen. If you want it to be as regular ice and not injure those close to you, then it will be as you wish.”

He held up a hand to stop her next question. “Your fears and anxieties will manifest if you let them dominate you. When your powers first exposed you to your people and the world, it was because you allowed your fear to rule you. It was the same with the winter you created. You were so afraid that you would lose control of your powers you did just that without realizing it.”

Elsa closed her eyes against the memories. She had been making progress on better using her abilities since her coronation with the help of Grand Pabbie and then Hiram, but still often caught herself falling back to her old ways. It was a habit that was difficult to break.

But everyone she cared about was in danger and they could ill afford any hesitation or fear. So instead of fighting like she used to, she opened herself fully to their embrace. The energy was so great that she started to feel light-headed. Her eyes opened to see ice rapidly crawling up her arms and legs. It replaced her dress with one similar to her coronation gown but of pure white and better suited for battle. An ice replica of her crown on top of a light helmet formed in her hands.

The trolls surrounding them gasped in wonder and Grand Pabbie smiled up at her proudly. “I believe you will be the greatest queen Arendelle has ever known.” He looked between her and Hiram. “Go, Your Highnesses. Save your people.”

Hiram laid a hand on her back and she felt his power delve into her bones. She placed the helmet on her head and they shot into the air. As soon as they cleared the trees Elsa spied Hiram’s staff hurtling toward them at tremendous speed. She watched as it flew into his right hand without causing any injury or discomfort whatsoever. She was glad to have him fighting by her side.


	18. Ruler: Part 6

Hiram barely had time to react when he saw Matej and dozens of fire dragons charging them. He shot a destructive blast at the nearest beast, but didn’t have time to watch the result when something hard smashed into them from behind.

“Elsa!” he cried in fear as her hand slipped from his grip. Fiery jaws clamped onto his torso, knocking his staff away and sending searing heat into his clothes. His powers surged outward, insulating his attire and protecting his skin and bones from the crushing grip. He risked a glance in the direction Elsa fell and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her create an ice slide that set her gently on the ground.

Satisfied that she was safe, Hiram shielded his hands with his powers and pried himself loose from the dragon’s grip. With his left hand still holding the creature’s snout, he positioned himself so that he was over its head. He called his staff to his right hand and smashed it into the dragon’s flaming skull. The creature gave a brief cry before it shattered into embers that faded as they fell to the forest floor.

Hiram saw Elsa engage several rock giants and Sorren. He moved to aid her, but Matej and his dragons forced him away.

“C’mon, Hiram!” Matej taunted as he threw a large ball of fire at him. “Fight me!”

“Whatever!” Hiram yelled and sent a shockwave that eliminated three more dragons and sent Matej tumbling through the air. He looked for Elsa and saw that she created several ice creatures similar to Marshmallow but made of solid ice instead of dense snow. One of them gripped the nearest stone soldier and ice seeped into the rocky body, causing cracks to form. It howled and shook itself free of the icy grip only for a section of its body to crumble and fall away.

Hiram dove for Sorren, blasting through a fire dragon that tried to get in his way. The commotion drew the earth wielder’s attention, and Sorren gaped at him for a second before sinking into the ground. Listening for his position in the stone and rocks, Hiram slammed feet first into the earth with a terrific blast. Sand and rocks flew everywhere, leaving behind a crater. Sorren flew out of the ground like a discarded doll and landed heavily.

“Nice trick,” he grumbled at Hiram. Elsa and her ice creations, protected from Hiram’s strike, quickly closed in on their opponents and started overpowering them.

“I had lots of practice.” Hiram heard Matej coming up behind him. “Right Matej?” he taunted.

Matej growled and charged him. Hiram quickly deflected the clumsy attack and with a not-so-gentle push sent him barreling into Sorren. Flame and earth mixed as the two wielders collided. Unfortunately, neither of them appeared to be seriously hurt. Elsa and her ice giants ran up to Hiram.

“Practice?” she asked.

“Well,” Hiram said. “Two little boys with powers have a tendency to roughhouse on occasion. Isten’s old fortress had plenty of tunnels for me to practice with.” He held up his hand to stop a large boulder from flattening them. He let it fall to the ground and turned back to their opponents.

“Hey!” Matej yelled, trying to draw their attention. Hiram saw another five fire dragons descending upon them. In the distance he heard Harriet flying toward them. _Fighting three at once will be tricky_ , he thought.

Elsa charged Sorren again while Hiram flew up to meet the winged monstrosities. He would have to take them down quickly if he wanted to have an easier time facing Harriet. He wouldn’t be bragging if he said he could face both of them at the same time and hold his own. The differences in their powers often negated numerical advantages. According to Isten, his powers allowed for the best prolonged fighting among wielders. Attrition was his ally.

He engulfed all five dragons in a sphere of energy, trapping them. After blocking a particularly nasty blow from Matej, he turned his attention to the trapped creatures. Like fireflies caught in a glass bowl, the fire dragons flew about chaotically, sometimes running into the barrier.

Below them a large piece of rock in the form of a hand separated itself from the earth and rose up on impossibly strong dirt supports toward the energy prison. Hiram was preoccupied with countering Matej’s efforts to free his trapped creatures and couldn’t divert energy to fight him too. Fortunately, Elsa was there to freeze the appendage’s progress. Hiram knew the earth was still a little damp, which made it harder for Sorren to counter the ice seeping through.

Dodging another blast of fire from Matej, Hiram turned to the prison orb and cupped his hands together. He imagined himself squishing a small ball of batter and pressed his hands tighter. The sphere quickly shrunk. He heard Matej stop attacking the floating prison and focus all of his energy on him. Hiram clenched his hands completely and watched as the sphere suddenly shrank to the size of a pebble. He released the energy and the only thing to emerge from the now tiny prison was ash.

“Those took an hour to make!” Matej shouted angrily. A flaming sword erupted from his hand and brought it down on Hiram. He brought his staff to meet Matej’s strike, his powers once again absorbing the blow. Hiram gritted his teeth. _We don’t have time for this_.

But the wind changed and Hiram knew that the fight would last for a few crucial moments longer. With his powers to manipulate sound and pressure, he knew what being hit with solid air felt like. He’d done it enough times to his enemies to know how powerful it was. Harriet’s blast sent him plowing through several trees before he hit the ground. ­

It took a few seconds for the clouds and trees to stop dancing in Hiram’s vision. He sat up and placed a hand gently on his shoulder, wincing at the soreness. A scream caught his attention and he looked up to see Elsa buffeting Harriet with frigid air as strong as a winter gale. Even though Harriet was the best wielder at controlling wind, she wasn’t able to block the deep chill that attacked her body. Frost quickly formed on her hands, feet and face. Matej was instantly at her side melting the ice and checking for any permanent damage.

One of the ice creatures walked up to Hiram and extended a hand. “Thank you, friend,” Hiram said, grasping the cold fingers. The ice giant nodded and left to help its comrades.

“Hiram!” Elsa called. Harriet had recovered and was quickly overpowering Elsa’s winter winds with a massive tornado. Matej held up his hand and fire quickly joined the barrage. Within seconds, Elsa was lost in the onslaught.

A large hand grabbed Hiram from behind and lifted him from the ground. He craned his neck to see a stone giant half as tall as the cliffs surrounding the fjord holding him up. For one second, Hiram was at a loss.

“What do you think of my power boy?” Sorren’s voice had deepened until it seemed to be rocks talking to him instead of a flesh and blood person. “You came to my land with conflict,” the hand squeezed. “You fought against my lawful authority.” Tighter. “You brought the Mind Lord.” Tighter. Hiram’s powers held off the stone fingers, barely. “And now I have nothing. So that’s what I will make sure you have no matter what the Mind Lord says. I will take everything from you!” It felt like two full-sized mountains were trying to crush him between them.

Hiram poured everything he had into keeping the oversized fingers from turning him into pudding. He blocked out all sound except for the rock giant and Elsa’s remaining ice creatures. Hiram sent a whispered command to them along with a portion of his own power. They didn’t say anything, but the subtle change in their stances told him they heard.

“I want to kill you,” Sorren said slowly. “I want to do it so badly. And I think I will-What?” he exclaimed as the whole stone giant shook. Hiram had ordered the ice creatures to strike the stone legs with the powers he loaned them. Large chunks of rock shattered, destabilizing Sorren’s creation.

The bone crushing grip loosened, allowing him to redirect his powers into the giant’s body. Sorren’s giant began to give off a dull blue glow.

“No!” Sorren said. “You can’t-” Something embedded itself into his rock giant’s chest, sending cracks several meters long. Hiram looked in Elsa’s direction and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she had escaped the firestorm safely.

Hiram smiled and concentrated the energy in the giant around the ice shard. He poured his power into the cracks and watched with satisfaction as they quickly covered Sorren’s stone creature. With a loud curse, the creature fell apart and Sorren tumbled to the ground. Fortunately, the dazed wielder was caught by Elsa’s ice creatures and pinned.

“Hold him there!” Elsa ordered running up to them. Hiram was glad to see her armor still intact despite the steam coming off it.

“Are you all right?” Hiram asked.

“Yeah,” Elsa said, a little breathless. “We have to get to Arendelle!”

“Yes,” Hiram agreed. He saw Matej and Harriet flying toward them. “Get behind me,” he said, waving Elsa back. She looked like she wanted to argue, but Hiram stopped any discussion by creating a partial sphere of energy in front of them. He saw Matej and Harriet’s eyes widen as they got closer. With a smirk, Hiram released his hold and allowed the energy to surge toward them.

They threw their arms across their faces in an attempt to block the worst of the strike and knocked out of the sky to land among the shattered stones and tree limbs. A second after the power was released, the sound reached Hiram and Elsa. Elsa had to cover her ears to block the worst of it, but Hiram quickly shielded her.

When the echoes died down, Hiram saw Matej and Harriet slowly picking themselves up from the ground, brushing twigs and dirt from their clothes. Hiram stared at them for a few seconds longer before allowing Elsa to pull him away. Matej stared after them with fire in his eyes. Hiram pushed down the regret he felt at their long-lost friendship.

He wrapped his good arm around Elsa and flew into the sky and toward Arendelle.

* * *

They crested the last peak and soon saw Arendelle. Elsa felt her stomach sink at the sight of her home. When they had arrived earlier, she only had eyes for the castle and the wielders’ creations attacking it. Now she could see the deep scorch marks on the walls and the ruined houses surrounding it.

But the battlefield - Elsa felt a chill run down her spine at calling her home that - was silent. No distant sounds of conflict reached her ears, nor could she see weapons fire coming from the enemy ships. She feared Isten had won, that he had already brainwashed Anna and everyone else she had sworn to protect.

“Hurry!” she urged Hiram. “Before he finishes them off!”

Either he felt her fear or already came to the same conclusion because the protective field around them strengthened, blocking out all outside noise except for the soft rumbling of Hiram’s powers propelling them. If it weren’t for the danger her people were in, she could have been lulled to sleep.

They flew through the air at speeds Elsa didn’t know was possible and reached the edge of the village in seconds. They were now close enough to the castle to see that hers and Hiram’s people were corralled in the courtyard, surrounded by human and fire soldiers. No dragons circled overhead, so they had the advantage of attacking from the air.

“Hiram, we have to get them away from our people and-” she was cut off when they suddenly started plummeting to the ground. “What’s happening?” she shouted.

“The bracelet!” Hiram yelled above the wind. “It’s blocking my powers again!”

Elsa thrust her hand out to create a cushion of snow for them to fall on and gasped when she saw her ice armor was gone, replaced by the clothing she found when they escaped Isten’s castle. Her vision faded as grey tendrils of fog covered her eyes. _My bracelet is working again_ , she realized with horror. She threw her arms over her head to brace for the impact, knowing how futile the action was.

Instead of the sudden, crushing impact of flesh and bone on gravel, Elsa felt strong, almost hot arms catch her. She opened her eyes to be greeted by the flaming face of one of Matej’s soldiers. It set her on the ground and she immediately felt something ram into her.

“Elsa!” Anna cried, wrapping her arms around Elsa’s shoulders. “You’re here! When the other wielders left we hoped it was because of you.”

“Yeah,” Elsa managed to get out, returning the hug as best as she could, once again impressed at her little sister’s strength. She craned her neck to search Anna’s face for any sign of injury and was relieved to find none. “We escaped.”

“Bring them!” Isten ordered, his voice echoing off the walls and in their minds.

Several human soldiers walked up and pulled Elsa from her sister’s grasp, then firmly escorted her to Isten, with Hiram not far behind. Elsa stared into the eyes of the man responsible for her grandparents’ death, for the enslavement of so many people including two small children with incredible gifts, and for the destruction around her today. She almost hated him. Almost. But as with Hans, she could only feel hard pity for a man obsessed with power.

Isten’s presence in her mind fumed at her low opinion, but his face remained impassive. He walked past them to the prisoners. The guards holding Elsa and Hiram forcefully turned them around so they could watch his plans unfold.

The Mind Lord didn’t speak, but through her connection with the mind vault Elsa could feel him reaching out to everyone in the courtyard and felt his intentions as clearly as if they were her own. He was going to take them! All of them! _You’re willing to enslave an entire nation?_ she asked, shocked.

Isten shot her a glare. _If you had submitted to my authority-_

 _You have no authority!_ Hiram cut in. _You never did! You abused your powers. You lied to everyone, including yourself!_

 _Silence!_ Elsa cringed at the sheer volume of the scream in her mind. She felt his power descend on her like a heavy glove, smothering her ability to fight back. The Mind Lord walked to the captured Arendelle and Derelict civilians. They shrank back from him in fear, but with a simple wave of his hands they became still.

 _Him_ , he said pointing to his first victim. The human guards, some the picture of loyalty, others looking as terrified as the civilians they guarded, dragged out a small boy who looked barely older than seven. Others restrained the child’s parents as they tried to get him back.

It took Elsa’s fog induced brain several seconds to recognize the little boy. He was the youngest child in the children’s singing group for Anna’s birthday party last year. He didn’t sing with the others, but just looked at everything around him with wide curious eyes.

Through the link Isten had created with her and Hiram, Elsa could feel the boy’s terror rolling off of him like the waves of the ocean. The closer Isten got to him, the larger the waves until they seemed strong enough to knock over a proverbial house. Isten knelt and touched his fingers to the little face. The child’s face twitched as his eyes glazed over with grey then relaxed as his mind went numb.

Images flashed in Elsa’s mind. She saw Hiram with a scared little boy shaking at his feet. Shako she realized. She looked at Hiram, who watched Isten with tears in his eyes. _Is he reliving those moments and showing them to us without knowing it?_ She wondered. But the next memory showed her they belonged to someone else.

She saw Kelton standing in front of the memory’s owner, informing him that her grandparents had fallen ill. The point of view shifted upward as the individual stood up. Then Elsa realized it was Isten’s memories she was seeing. She looked at Hiram again and saw his face harden in anger. Isten told Kelton to withhold all medicine and allow the sickness to run its course. She felt his emotions from that day. Anger at what he saw as their betrayal for getting closer to Hiram. He wanted them out of the way by any means necessary, but was unwilling to just kill them.

Then came a wave of rage and shock as the rest of the captured civilians realized what Iisten did to their previous rulers. However, none of their reactions caught Elsa’s attention like that of the little boy. She doubted he would be as scared if a real life dragon came down from the sky breathing fire. It gave him the strength to utter three words despite the strong hold Isten had on his mind.

“You’re a monster,” he said with childlike certainty.

“A monster,” Isten echoed as if he wasn’t sure he heard correctly. The little boy nodded, his angry gaze locked on Isten. “You think I’m a monster?” Another nod. The Mind Lord looked to the crowd questioningly his hold over them relaxing slightly. They needed no further encouragement.

“Monster!”

“You attacked our home!”

“Enslaved us!”

Isten was immediately on his feet. “SILENCE!” The sheer volume of the command, both auditory and mental, drove Elsa and everyone around her to their knees. “I am not the monster!”

“Yes you are,” the little boy said through tears as he laid on the ground curled in a ball. Elsa wanted to go to him, put herself between him and the Mind Lord as if that would shield him from the tyrant’s power. But she couldn’t move. It seemed that whenever Arendelle needed her the most she was powerless to protect them.

Isten glared at the child for a moment before turning his attention back to Elsa. She shook her head trying to clear still dulled mind. “Your queen froze Arendelle, lied to you all about her powers, and killed her sister! These are the actions of a monster!”

“But Princess Anna lived!” someone cried.

“The queen learned how to control her powers!” another said.

“We were not so innocent either!” Kai called out.

“Quiet!” Isten shouted, trying to gain control of the people crying out against him, but an old man stepped forward drawing the attention of everyone in the courtyard. His hair was sparse and white, his back stooped. The lines on his face spoke of decades of life in the rough country of Arendelle.

While his steps were slowed by joints long past their prime, he steadily marched until he was right next to the boy. He stood by his side like a valiant soldier facing the onslaught of a mighty army. The last of the fog left his deep green eyes as they bored into Isten.

“She saved my son.”

“What?” Isten asked.

“My son. The child born to my wife so many years after we had wed. We feared we could never have children. Then we were blessed with the birth of a boy. He was a small child, but grew strong as his old parents watched in pride,” a tear slid down his cheek.

Realization dawned as Elsa recognized him. This was the first person from the ice harvester families who spoke to her after she and Anna arrived to the party they held for her as thanks.

“I felt like I died inside when word came that there had been an avalanche,” the elder continued. “We knew the odds of survival were slim. Many had died from similar accidents. In my despair I almost missed the boy running through town only moments later saying that the queen saved them.”

He smiled briefly at Elsa then turned his hard gaze back to the tyrant. “Monsters don’t help common folk. Monsters don’t associate with them as one would equals. Our queen is no monster. She is our ruler. We trust her.”

Isten’s fists clenched. Elsa felt him refocusing his powers and braced herself for another mind control attempt.

“She helped us,” Hiram said

“Stop,” Isten said, his voice starting to shake. “You may not speak-”

“She helped us,” Hiram repeated. “She allowed the children and me to stay in Arendelle despite the danger we were in. She gave my people a home when no one else would. If that is not reason enough to convince you, look inside yourself, Isten. Look at what you did to her grandparents, my parents, and tell her who the real monster is.”

Suddenly it all stopped. The grey fog in her mind ceased movement as if it suddenly became uncertain of its purpose. Elsa tried to use the distraction to get through the mental blocks and regain control of her body. Unfortunately, even though the walls in her mind stopped their dizzying dance they remained impenetrable.

The Mind Lord lowered his head, not bothering trying to hide the rapid sequence of memories that surfaced. Memories of before he took on the title, of his tireless search for knowledge, how he met the king of Arendelle and of how he turned his back on it all for his _grand directive_ , flashed in Elsa’s mind. She could almost hear him talking to himself as he saw his life with new eyes. Horror, pain, regret quickly took their place in his mind as he finally looked at himself without bias.

Something clattered to the ground and she looked down to see the bracelet that locked away her powers lying on the stone surface. She unconsciously took a breath as her powers returned to her as the connection severed. In the courtyard, people jerked as if woken up, murmuring to each other and sending searing glares at the invaders.

A flash of blue light and Hiram was standing between the Mind Lord and the boy. Elsa reformed her ice armor. She looked at the soldiers surrounding them, ready for a fight, but only found confused and frightened stares meeting her gaze. Deciding that they didn’t pose an immediate threat, Elsa quickly made her way to Hiram’s side as he summoned his staff and held it to Isten’s throat.

Elsa was surprised to see the man who caused her family and friends so much hardship age right before her eyes. No longer the imposing presence she always felt when he was around, Isten now looked like an old, broken man, weighed down by the choices he made.

“Well,” he said in a low voice. “What are you waiting for? Finish me.”

“Why?” Hiram asked. A surprised murmur ran through the crowd, even Elsa was taken back.

Isten’s eyebrows raised slightly in either surprise or curiosity, Elsa couldn’t tell. “Because I killed your parents.”

“You did kill my parents,” Hiram acknowledged and nodded to Elsa. “Her grandparents. But if I kill you now, what would that make me?”

“A ruler seeking justice for his people,” Isten said.

“Is that how you finally see me, after all these years?” Hiram asked.

“It’s how I see both of you,” Isten said looking at Elsa. “How I should’ve seen you from the beginning.” She saw his eyes clearly for the first time. Had he been younger they would have been a vibrant green. Now they were faded with age like someone used watercolor to apply a thin coat of grey. Just like his powers.

“Do you recognize my authority over Derelict and agree that you have no claim to my loyalty?” Hiram asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you accept whatever decision I make no matter how severe or cruel?” Elsa looked at her friend in alarm. _What are you planning Hiram?_ She wondered. _Please don’t do anything you’re going to regret._

“Yes.”

Hiram nodded. “Release everyone you have captured and send them back home or wherever they wish to go with adequate support. That includes the Derelict you still have prisoner.” Elsa let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. _So Hiram’s going to begin his kingship without the spilling of blood_ , she realized with relief.

“What do you say, Queen Elsa?” Hiram asked. Elsa blinked, suddenly unsure what she wanted from this man. Did she want him to serve Arendelle for the rest of his life? No. Like Hiram, she wasn’t going to demand his life, but she did want him as far away from her home as possible. What he did to her family and to Hiram’s people could not be forgotten. Forgiven maybe, but there was too much brokenness to let him go just like that.

“I have only this to add,” Elsa said drawing herself to her full height. “That you, Isten, are to no longer use your powers for any purpose. I want you to disappear. Never let us, or anyone in the world, see or hear from you again. The Mind Lord is no more.”

That got a reaction from the soldiers. Some looked like they had found freedom while others brandished their weapons threateningly.

Isten seemed to shrink within himself even more. “I-”

“Master!” Harriet’s voice called out. Elsa followed the cry and felt her heart sink as Matej and Harriet landed next to Isten, and Sorren appeared from under the courtyard.

Elsa flinched as Isten’s powers again brushed against her mind and feared that he would go back on his word now that his servants returned. He straightened and was about to lift his hands when a soft whimper made him stop.

Elsa almost forgotten about the boy. He was clinging to Hiram’s pant leg and the hem of her dress staring at the incredibly powerful wielders towering over him. She laid her hand gently on his head and glared at Isten who was once again transfixed on him.

“Master?” Matej asked uncertainly.

Isten sighed wearily. “We’re leaving.”

“What?” Sorren said. “But-”

“Now,” Isten’s voice wasn’t loud, but his tone allowed no argument. He turned and walked toward the courtyard entrance.

Matej and Harriet looked at each other uncertainly before following him, casting hate-filled glares at Elsa and Hiram. Matej waved his hand in the air and the human and non-human soldiers immediately filed out after them.

Elsa waited a few minutes after the castle was empty of enemies before thawing her armor and returning the shaken child to his parents. She and Hiram hurried to the walls to watch Isten’s departure. Already the warships were docked and receiving their passengers. Isten was the last person to board. He stared in their direction for a moment before going below deck as his ships sailed away.

Movement caught her attention and Elsa found Anna next to her. In her hands were the mind vaults, no longer a threat to her family or friends.

“Are we going to keep them?” Anna asked.

Elsa looked at Hiram questioningly. He merely looked between her and the vaults before turning his attention back to the departing ships.

“I think we’ll ask Grand Pabbie remove their power and then have them melted down,” Elsa said, giving her sister the other one.

“So is it over?” Elsa looked at her sister’s singed and torn clothes and read the days of struggle she faced fighting against Isten and the wielders. She placed an arm over Anna’s shoulders and drew her in for a hug.

“There is still work to be done,” Hiram said. He looked down at the people gathered below in the courtyard. Shako and Nadine were making their way to them up the stone steps, too tired to use their own powers. Tor and Kai stayed behind to help with any injuries and to reassure those still gripped by fear. Grum and Captain Jokkon rallied the guards and marched away to secure the village. “But yes, I believe the storm has finally passed.”

Elsa let go of her sister and watched with a smile as she grabbed Kristoff and left to help below. Hiram suggested they stay and watch until the ships were out of sight as a precaution. Before they disappeared beyond the cliffs, Elsa felt a burden lift from her shoulders.

Arendelle was safe.

* * *

Elsa watched as two small children played in the snow at the base of her ice castle. The girl was dressed in warm clothing with thick mittens while the boy only had on trousers and a thin shirt. He was also not wearing shoes.

Hiram had flown them out to the mountain earlier that day to enjoy a holiday from the often-times stressful work of governing Arendelle. The unification of their peoples was finally solidified with their marriage. Even though more than seven years had passed since then, there were still some conflicts that had flared up from the within the country and from outside powers.

Isten wasted no time tearing down his fortress city and releasing his prisoners. Many of them returned to their old homes since their memories were largely intact. Others, including the remaining Derelict, settled down in either Arendelle or Corona since both nations enjoyed close political and familial ties. It took a year to get all the fugitives settled and the former soldiers sent to hopefully better employment.

As soon as Isten saw the last of his servants returned to civilization, he immediately left with his wielders. True to his word, he honored the sentence Elsa gave and never made contact with anyone, disappearing completely. There were still rumors of people calling forth fire or wind and Elsa or Hiram would have to investigate. Fortunately, the rumors were baseless and turned out to be the product of peoples’ fears. Nevertheless, the first years were often difficult.

But they weathered the challenges. Now with two children of her own and a niece that was born just over a year ago, Elsa and Hiram are prepared to safeguard Arendelle’s new golden age.

But the greatest surprise came only a week ago. Anna had burst into the dining room during breakfast with her daughter. Ignoring the surprised looks and protests as she cleared some dishes away, she placed the little girl on the table and held out a spoon. The toddler grabbed it in her chubby hands and looked at it with wide curious eyes.

The room went quiet when the metal started to bend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap everyone! Thanks for all the views and likes!
> 
> Iota_Tau out!


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